《The Heart of Nimble Woods》


 1: A Little Bit of Trouble (I)

    Jack wasn¡¯t a trouble-maker. Not exactly, anyway. If pressed, he might admit that maybe...just maybe¡­ he had a tendency to bend the rules a tiny bit. Just to liven things up. Surely that wasn¡¯t a bad thing, no matter what the authorities might say.


    He had never deliberately dragged his friends into trouble. That was the most important thing. Deep down, he was a good guy, and good guys took care of their friends and their family. No matter what.


    Unfortunately, sometimes shit happened. Jack reckoned it was just bad luck that it often happened right in the middle of his very well-laid plans. But you rolled with it. What else can you do?


    Anyway, Jack was sure this wouldn¡¯t be like those other times. After all, they weren¡¯t kids in high school anymore. And he wasn¡¯t going to just spring it on them either. He was going to give his friends a choice about getting involved. A choice no one could possibly refuse.


    Who would say no to participation in a 100% real magical adventure? Or maybe an actual, factual, science-fictional adventure. Jack wasn¡¯t too sure about the exact details yet. He only knew it was going to be awesome and he couldn¡¯t wait for his friends to see that too.


    He just had to overcome that knee-jerk skepticism that had become so annoyingly predictable.


    Jack was a master fast-talker. But his friends had, unfortunately, grown immune to his skill over the years. They didn¡¯t believe half of what he said, even when it was the complete, bare naked truth. There was no way they were going to believe him this time and he didn¡¯t relish the thought of explaining that he had managed to secure a job interview in another world. Not without some kind of proof.


    He could picture that conversation very clearly. Daiki would roll his eyes and say something sarcastic. Steve would laugh awkwardly as if it was all a joke he didn¡¯t quite understand. Zac would probably just back away slowly.


    No, Jack couldn¡¯t tell them. It was too important to get them on-board with the plan without that kind of delay. He had to show them.


    Luckily, he had a little event planned that was going to blow their minds and blast away any pesky doubts. Something guaranteed to clear up all their suspicions before his friends even knew enough to have them.


    All he had to do was get them into his room, all together, at the right time.


    *


    Everyone was currently home for the summer, which definitely helped. So all Jack had to do was ask them ¡®round to his place for a barbecue. A totally innocent barbecue, a completely foolproof plan.


    Jack told his friends to show up at 1 pm. According to his script for the day, that would give them enough time to catch up, eat some food, and get nice and relaxed before the mind-blowing occurred.


    Unfortunately, shit does happen, and with annoying frequency. In fact, shit seems to be particularly attracted to the word foolproof.


    Zac knocked on Jack¡¯s door at 11.37am, his arms loaded with ziploc bags of chopped vegetables, topped with a massive tub of home-made dip which was barely identifiable under 50 layers of plastic wrap.


    A single glance told Jack that a whole year at university had done nothing at all to loosen his friend up. Even though he was over an hour early, Zac was tapping his foot impatiently on the path by the time Jack made it to the door. Zac¡¯s button-up shirt and brown leather shoes were matched by his hair, which had been parted severely and gelled almost flat against his scalp.


    His shirt buttons were straining a little more than the last time they¡¯d seen each other, but Jack wasn¡¯t about to point that out.


    Zac¡¯s dad was sitting stiffly in his car by the curb, waiting for his son to gain entrance to the house. He drove off with only a quick glare in Jack¡¯s direction.


    ¡°He still hasn''t forgiven me, huh?¡±


    ¡°He''s never going to forgive you. He barely forgives me. ¡®I want you home by four, Satyajit,¡¯¡± Zac mimicked his dad, putting on a heavy Indian accent. ¡°¡®And not a minute later.¡¯ You¡¯d think I was still a kid or something. I¡¯m at uni now. Like I can¡¯t stay out as late as I want to.¡±


    For all his big talk, Jack knew that Zac would end up just happening to stay until close to 4 PM, and not a minute later.


    Normally he would have teased his friend and maybe cracked a few jokes to cover his dismay that Mr. Datla still hadn¡¯t forgiven him for something that happened almost two years ago, but today wasn¡¯t a normal day. If Zac left before 4 PM, that would cut very close to the mind-blowing. Nobody could miss it. They just wouldn¡¯t believe it secondhand, no matter what Jack did. He was going to have to make sure he distracted Zac as much as possible, to keep him in the house until it happened.


    Zac knew his way around Jack¡¯s kitchen. He began plating his vegetable sticks on a bench, fussily arranging them into big starbursts of celery and carrot sticks as Jack hovered and peppered him with questions about his year at uni. Zac was pouring spoonfuls of dip into a couple of ceramic ramekins that he¡¯d found in the back of a cupboard, and steadfastly sticking to single word replies, when the roar of an approaching motorbike beat through the thin walls of Jack¡¯s mother¡¯s house. It could only be Steve. Jack rushed out of the house to greet his best friend.


    Unfortunately, Steve wasn¡¯t alone. His girlfriend Zoe gunned her own bike into the driveway, parking beside him. Jack felt his heartbeat rise slightly when he spotted her. Not good. Not quite shit but definitely not good.


    However, before Jack could say a thing, Zoe insisted that she was only going to stay for a few minutes. She didn''t want to disrupt their little reunion.


    ¡°I just wanted her to meet Zac and Daiki,¡± Steve said to Jack. ¡°Hope that''s OK.¡±


    With one long arm, Steve pulled Zoe close. She was not a tall girl, being slightly shorter than even Jack, so Steve had to lean down to bump his chin against the top of her helmet. She beamed up at him in response.


    It wasn¡¯t that Jack didn¡¯t like Zoe. It wasn¡¯t even that he minded having his plans disrupted. Not usually, anyway. He was the king of disruption- when it wasn¡¯t this important that everything goes according to plan.


    Zoe was a cool chick. Jack had hung out with her and Steve more than once. She appreciated Jack¡¯s sense of humor (which was, of course, the most attractive quality in any girl). She wasn¡¯t squeamish, or possessive, or anything else that could be annoying in a girlfriend, maybe because she had so many older brothers and they were all pretty cool too.


    It didn¡¯t matter how cool she was. This was a reunion with an ulterior motive, even if no one else realized that yet. Having Zoe there wasn''t part of the plan.


    Throwing a tantrum wouldn¡¯t help, of course, and Jack didn¡¯t want to hurt her feelings or piss off his mate. Maybe she actually would leave after a few minutes, so Jack made himself smile and act happy to see her. With any luck, she''d be gone before the fireworks started.


    Maybe everyone arriving so early wasn''t such a bad thing after all.


    Steve grabbed Zac for a bear hug, enveloping his smaller friend, just as Daiki sauntered across the road to join the group. Jack wondered if he had heard the motorcycles, or if he¡¯d just been watching from his own living room window, waiting until the group reached critical mass before he approached.


    Daiki and Jack had lived across the road from each other for about a decade now. They both had single mothers and this neighborhood had been all they could afford. It had grown nicer around them as they grew up and now looked like an average suburb, with more green than grey lining the road.


    It hadn¡¯t always been like that, although it had never been the worst place in the city, either; regardless, Jack knew that his friend had always hated it. Daiki might have had Jack and Steve and Zac to hang out with in school, but this mostly white- and Pasifika-neighborhood had not been kind to a skinny, half-Japanese, half-mongrel kid who liked photography. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Jack hadn¡¯t even been sure his friend would show up. Daiki had been away for months at some fancy art school and this was the first time Jack had seen him, in the flesh, for about a year.


    ¡°S''up,¡± Daiki said. He nodded coolly at them, then sighed heavily and rolled his eyes when Steve swept him up in a hug.


    ¡°I haven''t seen you in so long, Daiki,¡± Steve said, as he did his best to crack his friend¡¯s ribs. ¡°Hey, come and meet my girlfriend. Zoe, this is Daiki.¡±


    ¡°Charmed,¡± Daiki gasped as Steve finally let him go. Preemptively, he thrust out his hand like a barrier, standing as far away from her as he could manage.


    The corners of Zoe''s lips were fighting to rise as she leaned forward to shake hands. ¡°No hug for me then?¡±


    Daiki squinted at her. ¡°I''m not really a hugging kind of guy.¡±


    ¡°He''s afraid you''ll mess up his hair,¡± Jack said.


    Not deigning to reply, Daiki thrust a bag of kettle chips at Jack and strolled past him, into the house. His carefully-spiked and purple-tinted hair was still intact in spite of the manhandling he¡¯d suffered. Zac shrugged and followed him through the front door. Zoe and Steve exchanged a quick couple¡¯s smile and proceeded to unload Steve¡¯s stripped-down bike. They pulled several plastic-wrapped bundles from the saddlebags and carried them inside.


    Alone on his front lawn, Jack checked his watch. It was barely noon. Not good. Not quite shit yet, but damn it was starting to get there.


    OK, so everyone had arrived. It suddenly occurred to Jack that there were probably a few things he needed to do before lunch could begin. Things like cleaning the grill, and making some salad, and readying the handcuffs in case one of his friends tried to leave too early.


    First things first. Jack played the good host and parceled out beers and sodas- one each, and the rest were shoved deep into the fridge, in the hope that Zoe would clear off after hers was finished.


    Once everyone seemed happy (although with Daiki it was impossible to tell) Jack set about pulling together the essentials. It took him half an hour to clean the grill, and he cursed himself the whole time for not doing it sooner. If it wasn¡¯t for Zac he might not have bothered, but he knew Zac would freak out if he was served food with little black bits of previous barbecues crusted on it. Besides, Jack reasoned to himself, if the grill caught on fire, it might distract his friends at a crucial moment. Everything, from this point on, needed to be foolproof. No shit.


    Meanwhile, Zoe had coaxed Zac out of his shell and Jack could hear them all laughing together through the kitchen window as he slaved away in the backyard. Even Daiki was laughing. It was extremely irritating.


    It was the sound of Zoe not leaving after her first drink.


    After the grill was clean enough, Steve welcomed Jack back into the house like he owned the place. Jack clenched his teeth as he scrubbed at his hands in the kitchen sink, in an effort to remove the old barbeque grease. Everyone was perched on stools around the kitchen counter, which was now loaded with bowls of chips and the plates of chopped carrots and celery and cucumber. He noticed they all had fresh bottles. So much for getting the hint, but what could he do? Getting upset at this point would only alert them to his plan.


    So Jack grabbed a beer of his own and joined his friends. It was time to steer the conversation.


    ¡°We were just telling Zoe about how we used to get up to a little bit of trouble at school.¡± Steve passed a bowl of onion dip to Jack. ¡°Like that time you hacked the principal¡¯s assembly powerpoint and spliced in all those photos.¡±


    Jack almost choked on a carrot stick. This wasn¡¯t exactly the best topic to refresh in their minds right now.


    ¡°Oh yeah. Nah, that was more Zac than me.¡±


    ¡°You gotta watch the quiet ones, eh?¡± Zoe winked at Zac and he straightened up a bit and smiled. As always, his fingers were tapping quietly on the counter to a beat that only he could hear. Their tempo increased.


    ¡°He was always so responsible and strait-laced, they never even suspected him.¡± Jack couldn¡¯t help himself. Enthusiasm crept into his voice. ¡°I mean, he was the only one with access to the projector before the assembly, but he was so¡­ respectable the teachers just couldn¡¯t believe it was him. I can still remember the shocked tone in his voice when they asked him about it. He completely got away with it.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t all me,¡± Zac said, magnanimously. ¡°You guys spliced the pictures in. All I really did was swap out the files.¡±


    ¡°What were they pictures of?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was supposed to be an end of year thing. Like, look at all our happy memories, you know?¡± Jack shrugged. ¡°We just¡­ spiced it up a bit.¡±


    ¡°Made it bearable.¡± Daiki had already finished his second beer. He was facing half-away from the group, as if completely aloof, but wasn¡¯t about to relinquish his credit for the incident.


    ¡°We dripped in the new content at first,¡± Jack said. ¡°So the teachers didn¡¯t notice. A few memes, and a few weird pictures like that one of Jesus riding a dinosaur.¡±


    ¡°But my favorite bit,¡± Steve said. ¡°Was when you had put the principal¡¯s head onto a bunch of porn-star bodies. He just kept reading off his speech while the school went nuts. Mr. Finn almost broke his neck trying to get to the projector to shut it off.¡±


    ¡°It was very tasteful,¡± Jack assured Zoe as she laughed.


    ¡°And they didn¡¯t catch you?¡±


    ¡°Those two couldn¡¯t keep a straight face about it.¡± Daiki shook his head, indicating Steve and Jack. ¡°They giggled like five-year-old girls whenever anyone brought it up. So the admins probably knew who did it.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t have any proof,¡± Jack said. ¡°And Steve left school that year anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh right,¡± Zoe said, nodding. ¡°That¡¯s when he started on the boat?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Steve said. He tried to say it lightly, but there was an awkward pause in the conversation. No one had been pleased when Steve left school before finishing his final year, least of all him.


    ¡°Well, then.¡± Zoe interrupted the silence as she stood up and drained the last of her soda. ¡°I guess I¡¯d better be going. It¡¯s been great meeting you guys.¡±


    ¡°Aw, no, Zoe, come on.¡± Steve grabbed her hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have to make that pick-up right now. Stay for lunch. Hang out with my friends.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mind raced as he tried to think of a way to encourage her to leave without looking like a jerk or tipping off his friends. Before he could think of anything, Zoe let herself be talked into lunch.


    Right. Lunch. Someone had better get on that.


    It was barely 12.30, but Jack ushered the others into the living room, then raided the fridge. He pulled out the bags of sausages and chicken wings he had bought with the money his mother had left him for the weekend, as well as the plastic-wrapped packages Steve and Zoe had provided. Their contribution added up to a big pile of mussels, scallops, and clams.


    ¡°It¡¯s fresh,¡± Steve said, appearing behind him. ¡°Me and Zoe and her brothers went out and got it this morning. The water¡¯s beautiful right now. You should join us sometime. I haven¡¯t seen enough of you guys this summer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ uh, I¡¯ve had some stuff on my mind.¡± That was an understatement.


    ¡°Anything I can help with?¡±


    Jack hesitated. Steve was his best friend. But now was not the time to offload. Not now, maybe not ever. No one liked a crybaby, and this day was already going to be weird enough without opening a second can of worms.


    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯ll talk to you about it later.¡± Or not.


    ¡°Sure thing. Whatever you need.¡±


    Jack had never cooked shellfish on the grill before, so Steve offered to take over and it wasn¡¯t long before the air was full of briny smoke and the sizzle and pop of sausages. Jack chopped up some lettuces that his mother was probably saving for something else and threw in a few other ingredients he hoped he could sell as ¡°salad.¡±


    Then they ate.


    Either the food was delicious, or everyone was just hungry. It disappeared quickly. Too quickly. The mind-blowing wasn¡¯t scheduled until 3.42pm, and it wasn¡¯t even 2.


    This is so stupid, Jack realized as the conversation began to slow and Zac checked his watch. I should have just asked them over at 3 pm for a movie or something. Of course, if he had done that, he was sure no one would have turned up until 4. Shit. Shit happened.


    Jack suggested they play some games, hoping that a bit of pixelated violence would drive Zoe away. Of course not, she turned out to be a gamer, closely matched to Daiki in skill (although she wasn¡¯t quite as good as Zac). A bit of gentle teasing led to a bitter fight-out lasting over an hour, as Daiki thrashed his controller around, trying to gain an edge, and became increasingly pissed off.


    Finally, as 3 pm approached and Jack was beginning to feel sick from nerves, Zoe¡¯s avatar was destroyed and Daiki leaped to his feet in triumph.


    ¡°Yes! In your face! I...¡± Daiki quickly realized everyone was staring at him. He hurriedly sat back down and checked his hair. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nice moves,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Good game, good game.¡±


    Zoe laughed. She didn¡¯t seem at all offended. She was almost as stoic as Steve like that.


    ¡°Right. I¡¯m going to storm off in disgust now,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to do that pick-up for work anyway. You lot have corrupted me long enough.¡±


    She kissed Steve, who had been sitting on the weights bench by the window, idly tossing a basketball between his hands while watching her play.


    ¡°OK sweetheart,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be over soon.¡±


    Jack showed Zoe to the front door and told her as sincerely as he could that she was welcome any time. Then he closed the door behind her and slumped against it as her motorcycle roared to life outside.


    He took the stairs two at a time. It was just past three. Maybe his plan was going to work after all.

 1: A Little Bit of Trouble (II)

    Back in his room, Jack sat cross-legged on his bed and studied his friends, now arguing over the relative merits of different consoles. He fiddled with a roll of black paper as he did so. On the surface, it looked like ordinary black craft paper, but it promised to change his life and the lives of his friends forever.


    Everything hinged on the next hour, but there were so many unknowns. Jack couldn¡¯t predict what would happen and maybe couldn¡¯t control anything once it did. All he could do was make sure his friends were there to experience it with him.


    So, he fiddled with the letter and tried to think of a surefire way to keep all of them in place for another half hour. Surely that wouldn¡¯t be too hard?


    His room was so small that the four of them barely seemed to fit in it these days, and yet having them here, together, felt good. Jack hadn¡¯t seen them in one place for a long time. Everyone had gone away and left him, the youngest of the group, stultified in his final year of high school. It was tough being the runt. Jack was determined not to go through another year like that.


    His eyes drifted to Daiki. Daiki was the challenge. Steve always went along with Jack¡¯s suggestions, no matter how convoluted or crazy they might be. And Zac would follow the group if everyone else was in.


    But Daiki, his long, lean form currently slouched on the sofa, as though he was bored, was always cynical, always stubbornly picking apart whatever they did as though there needed to be a point to everything. Sometimes Jack suspected his half-gaijin friend only went along with their trouble-making so he could take photos of the aftermath. His camera was never far from his hand.


    Every few minutes Daiki reached up to check on his purple-black hair. He had, no doubt, spent hours getting it to look just the right amount of disheveled. He wasn¡¯t exactly going to be thrilled to be without his hair dryer, if the plan went the way Jack hoped it would. Or¡­ maybe he could take it with him? Jack wasn¡¯t sure about details yet. At any rate, they would find out soon.


    His attention snapped back to the conversation just as it died away. The only sound was the soft patter of Zac¡¯s hands as he drummed idly on the arm of Jack¡¯s old sofa.


    ¡°Well guys, I think I¡¯d better take off too...¡± Steve carefully set down the basketball he had been playing with and stood. ¡°I¡¯m going to go watch a movie with Zoe.¡±


    ¡°Got you on a tight leash, huh?¡± Zac grinned up at Steve who stretched out, rising up on his toes to touch the ceiling.


    Steve had developed muscles on his muscles, working on that ship, Jack thought and glanced at his own arms. Wiry, maybe, but no one could call him ripped. Pale, freckled, mousy hair, Jack was an all-around average-looker, except for his height. He was shorter than Zac, the next tallest, by a good two inches.


    Not like Steve at all. The tallest of the group, Steve was deeply tanned and had hair that had been bleached to coppery straw after working for the last two years on his uncle¡¯s fishing boat. His scarred hands and knocked-about nose made him look older than his nineteen years. But his kind blue eyes were more attractive than the straightest of noses.


    Steve dropped down on his heels and winked at Zac. ¡°I¡¯ve got to admit, she works me to the bone.¡±


    Zac groaned and Daiki snickered. Jack chuckled along with the others but his mind was racing, trying to think of a delay that wasn¡¯t going to make them suspicious. His friends thought they had the rest of the summer to catch up. They had no reason to linger. He was going to lose them.


    The long hand of the old starburst clock on his wall was still centimeters away from the 8.


    ¡°Wait a bit, Steve... you haven¡¯t told us about... about... your New Year¡¯s resolutions.¡± Jack winced inside even as he said it. Dumb, real dumb. You might even call it shit.


    ¡°Resolutions?¡± Steve thought for a moment. ¡°How about... don¡¯t drink the Kool-Aid. At least, not when it¡¯s mixed with straight gin.¡±


    Jack flushed red but managed a polite grin as the others laughed.


    Steve and Jack had spent New Years on a local beach, along with Zoe and a few dozen people from Jack¡¯s graduating high school class, passing around cheap, colorful mixed drinks and throwing armfuls of driftwood on a massive, sloppy bonfire. There had been stinking, Day-Glo splashes of vomit speckled all over the dunes the morning after.


    Steve wasn¡¯t a heavy drinker and Zoe only had one or two, but Jack had made an unfortunate Hawaiian Lime contribution to the group effort. Most of the night was a bit blurry. He did remember Steve patting him on the back after he had emptied his stomach. From the smirks on Zac and Daikis¡¯ faces, they knew all about it.


    That was before I answered the ad, Jack told himself. When I thought I was going to have to work in a supermarket or a McDonalds. Before there was any hope that it would all be OK.


    ¡°No need to rub it in, mate,¡± he said lightly, glancing at the clock again. Come on, come on... ¡°You know, I think there might be some more beer in the kitchen if you want to stay and have a few with us. Mum won¡¯t be back until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I really should go,¡± Steve said and headed for the bedroom door. ¡°I told Zoe I¡¯d meet her there at four.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh...¡± Jack bit his lip and scoured his mind for inspiration. A mental light-bulb went off. Finally.


    ¡°Steve, I forgot to ask you- how¡¯s that old dog of yours anyway? Grace? I haven¡¯t seen her in ages.¡±


    Much better, Jack congratulated himself. Get Steve talking about one of his animals and he¡¯ll never stop.


    Steve swung around in the doorway. ¡°She¡¯s doing really well. You should come over sometime and see her. I¡¯ve had to change her diet to-¡±


    ¡°I think maybe I¡¯d better head off as well,¡± Zac said, right on schedule. Not that he was pandering to his strict parents or anything, Jack thought bitterly. No, he just happened to want to run home right when they wanted him.


    Jack swore to himself as Daiki shrugged and tossed down the console controller he¡¯d been playing with and they both pushed themselves off the couch and it was still only 3.32pm.


    Gritting his teeth, Jack threw caution to the wind and slipped past his friends to insert himself in the doorway, blocking their exit. Steve trailed off as he realized no one was listening to his one-sided debate over the benefits of fish versus beef for old dogs.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on Jack?¡± Daiki asked, suspicion in his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been sneaking looks at the clock all afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Aw, come on man, I don¡¯t need this,¡± Zac said. He was holding himself stiff, like he was prepared to charge past Jack and out the door. He tapped one of his brown leather shoes nervously on the floor. ¡°Last time you pulled one of your stunts I was grounded for months, remember? You promised you wouldn¡¯t do that shit again.¡±


    ¡°That was over a year ago, Zac and it wasn¡¯t all my fault. You shouldn¡¯t have let them find out we went to that concert.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°It was on the news, Jack!¡± Zac¡¯s voice tended to get higher when he was upset. ¡°It was on the bloody news!¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe if Daiki hadn¡¯t sent them those photos...¡± Jack ignored the look Daiki shot him. He was trying to see the clock over their shoulders, but it was blocked from view. Surely though, it was going to happen any second now. He was more than over this waiting and getting sick of all these unfounded accusations.


    ¡°Just tell us what you¡¯ve done this time, Squirt.¡± Daiki had plastered a little smile on his face, like he was indulging a child.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can explain it, exactly...¡± Jack really hated that little smile.


    ¡°How about we promise not to make any sudden breaks for the door and you give it a shot?¡± Daiki sat back on the old couch.


    Zac glanced at Steve, then back at Jack, and snickered uncertainly. But some of the tension left him, and he sat down as well. Jack understood the joke. If Steve wanted to go through that door, itty, bitty Jack wasn¡¯t going to provide much of a barrier.


    On the other hand, Jack had been taking jiu jitsu for years. He was pretty sure he could give Steve a run for his money in spite of the size difference.


    Not that he ever would. His big friend was a teddy-bear.


    Steve reluctantly moved to stand beside the couch but didn¡¯t sit down. He pulled out a cell phone and started tapping away at it, no doubt letting Zoe know he was going to be late.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Jack glanced at the clock again and caught Daiki rolling his eyes. Maybe the clock was broken. The relevant hand seemed to be stuck between the seven and the eight.


    The others were all looking at him expectantly. But at least they weren¡¯t trying to force their way out of the room.


    Jack took a deep breath and wished fervently that he had prepared a speech. He had been counting on special effects to back up his story. But apparently, they weren¡¯t going to wait for the good part unless he gave them a hook. He thought briefly of showing them the black scroll, which was sitting on his bed, but then decided to start slowly.


    ¡°A few weeks ago I found this ad in a science magazine.¡± Jack pulled a snippet of paper fromhis jeans pocket.


    Seeking Apprentice


    Want adventure?


    Want fame?


    Want riches?


    Do you have what it takes


    to be the one with all the answers?


    Apply now to:


    [email protected]</a>


    Jack let them pass the clipping around as he counted the seconds. Struggling to keep his eyes from flicking back to the clock, he tried instead to catch the time on the screen as Steve slid his phone back into his jeans pocket.


    ¡°So I take it you emailed the guy?¡± Zac now sounded impatient. ¡°Come on, this looks like one of those fake get-rich-quick schemes. You know, work from home, make $10,000 an hour, and all you need to do is give us your bank account number and password. It¡¯s a con.¡±


    ¡°Or it¡¯s a prank,¡± Daiki said. ¡°This email looks like a Hitchhiker¡¯s reference. Or maybe a 420 joke they were too stoned to finish.¡± Daiki heaved one of his heavy, why me sighs as he surveyed the piece of paper. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what country .cyn stands for. It¡¯s just a made-up email. Did you actually spend money on this, Jack? Or was it you who made it in the first place?¡±


    Daiki passed the clipping on to Steve who frowned at it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my ad, I swear,¡± Jack said. He was starting to wonder if his friends really deserved the opportunity he was about to offer them. ¡°And it¡¯s a real email. You guys just need to listen¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go to university like a normal person?¡± Zac was tapping his fingers so fast on the sofa arm it sounded like a drum roll. ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as high school, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Daiki said. ¡°You might even get laid.¡±


    ¡°I just... wanted to know what the deal was.¡± Jack swallowed his resentment and tried to sound nonchalant. He had good reasons for not wanting to go to university, but they were none of his friends¡¯ business.


    ¡°So yeah, I emailed, and I got an automatic reply with a link to a test.¡±


    ¡°A test.¡± Daiki was politely skeptical. His smug little smile was lingering like a bad smell.


    Steve was now peering at the other side of the magazine clipping as though it held some answers.


    Sweat prickled the back of Jack¡¯s neck. For the first time, he was starting to doubt. What if nothing happened at 3.42? Maybe he should clam-up before he dug himself into even more well-deserved ribbing.


    Maybe his friends were right to be so skeptical.


    Unable to help himself, Jack glanced at the clock again. The long hand was now well beyond the eight, almost to the nine. The time had passed.


    Jack felt sick. It was all just a sophisticated prank and he had fallen for it, flat on his face. In front of his friends.


    It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Steve to leave, just leave, when Jack caught the faintest whisper of anomalous sound. It was a hum, barely audible over his own breathing, and he was sure none of the other boys had noticed it.


    Along with the overwhelming wave of relief came a touch of cockiness.


    ¡°Yeah, a test,¡± Jack said. ¡°I aced it of course. Just a bit of logic, philosophy, riddles, advanced calculus...¡±


    There hadn¡¯t been any advanced calculus, only a short section of algebra. But Jack wanted to wipe that smile off Daiki¡¯s face. Daiki couldn¡¯t do calculus to save his life.


    There had been other questions, too. Ones that Jack didn¡¯t want mention just yet. He knew his friends would be concerned if they heard about those. Personal questions about ethics and boundaries, and what-if scenarios that could be considered slightly morbid, really, if you thought about them too hard.


    Jack didn¡¯t know why he had answered those. He didn¡¯t know why he had answered any of it, except that he really, really didn¡¯t want to work in a supermarket.


    The hum was getting louder. Zac noticed it first and paused his tapping to listen.


    ¡°Hey, can you guys hear that?¡± He frowned, his forehead wrinkling. ¡°It sounds like... like some kind of flute... or maybe a saxophone?¡±


    The sound increased rapidly until they could all hear it. Until they could hear nothing else.


    It was much louder than the last time. Jack was grateful that his mother was away on a truck run. There would have been no way to disguise a sound this loud.


    ¡°Jack! What the hell have you done?¡± Daiki yelled over the noise, his hands pressed into his ears.


    ¡°Just wait!¡± Jack mouthed the words.


    A light was floating in the middle of the room. At first, it could almost be mistaken for some kind of after-image, but it held steady and grew brighter, like a lime-green firefly, then a candle, then a lamp. Gradually it grew large enough for Jack to see that it wasn¡¯t a solid disc. It was a ring of fire.


    Daiki was on his feet now and had rushed up to Jack, while Zac was pushing himself into the couch, clutching at the back of it as though he could be sucked into the light. Steve was standing next to the couch, frozen like a stag caught in headlights.


    The air remained completely still even as the noise grew ever more painfully loud. Jack kept glancing from his friends to the ring, hoping they weren¡¯t too freaked out. Maybe he should have warned them somehow, but he hadn¡¯t himself known what to expect. The last time, he had only heard the noise, and seen a green light flash under his door, gone before he¡¯d made it into the room.


    The portal was now as big as a basketball, a circle of fiery green lining a blazing gray center. It was as bright as a 100-watt light bulb, bright enough that Steve had wrapped his hands around his face, with his thumbs in his ears, and was looking at it through his fingers, his mouth hanging open beneath them.


    An unheard gasp ran around the room as a tiny hand darted from the ring. The hand was attached to a flap of skin- a wing- that flicked open as it passed through the portal. It was a translucent membrane stretched beneath a long, gleaming arm. Three thin fingers fumbled for the blazing edge, caught and pulled.


    A beak popped out, and then a creature was sitting, silhouetted against the light, on the ring, as though the blazing fire was no more than a sun-warmed tree branch.


    It gazed around the room at the boys, their faces bleached by the brilliant green light. It was only a little bigger than a lovebird but was most emphatically not a bird. Its wings were bat-like and its skin was covered in tiny alligator scales, all glimmering forest-green and obsidian.


    That was strange enough, but it wasn¡¯t all. The bulk of one wing and one leg were sculpted from an aluminum-like metal and anodized bright green. The membrane of that wing was a soft, silvery material that folded readily against the small body, yet was obviously not organic. Gleaming gears the size of pinheads spun in its shoulder joint as it turned to search the room for the one it had come to see.


    It was a cyborg. It had huge, purple eyes... and it was looking at Jack.

 2: Who Is Willing? (I)

    Jack¡¯s head ached from the constant overwhelming noise and light of the open portal in his room. He could just barely make out the blurred form of the creature which had emerged through the blaze. It hurt his eyes to look but he squinted and kept staring with all his might. This was no time to turn away.


    Wings spread, the little creature launched itself forward, unfurling its wings. The mechanical wing spread as smoothly as the organic one. Catching the air briefly, the small body rose and fell in a wide arc, landing on the spare end of Jack¡¯s sofa. Zac, still seated on the other side, flinched back pressing himself into the ragged sofa arm.


    Mere moments after the creature leaped through the portal vanished, instantly snuffing out both the light and the noise.


    Jack sighed with relief. His ears were still ringing and he was near-blind as his eyes adjusted to the ordinary light from his window, but what did that matter? He had done it. There was a creature from another world in his room. A jolt of pure pleasure electrified him.


    It wasn¡¯t a prank. It wasn¡¯t a mistake. This was really going to happen.


    ¡°What- is it?¡± Daiki leaned over Zac, trying to get a better look at the small creature while keeping the main part of his body safely away from it. His hands were trembling and his eyes were wide with curiosity, but he was already beginning to regain his composure.


    Zac, on the other hand, seemed too terrified to even attempt the escape he so obviously longed for. His face had paled and he was rigid on the couch as if the little thing was going to pounce on him if he moved an inch.


    Steve was just gaping, his hands lifted to his face, still reflexively shielding his eyes.


    The creature rubbed its long, chunky beak on the couch cushions before cocking its head to inspect Daiki. Still leaning over Zac, Daiki was now slowly reaching out a hand, obviously working up the nerve to get closer.


    Every eye was fixed on the tiny cyborg-creature which crouched on the worn velvet of Jack¡¯s old couch, wings half-folded around itself. It regarded each of his friends in turn, and then ignored them, focusing its gaze on Jack alone.


    Jack stared back solemnly until he couldn¡¯t contain himself anymore. Bouncing on the balls of his feet and throwing his hands up, he let out a whoop.


    His friends flinched at the sudden noise, but the little cyborg only cocked its head.


    ¡°Did you guys see that? That was awesome! Can you believe this is happening?¡± Jack waved his hands at his guest like a magician revealing a white rabbit. He wasn¡¯t quite doing a victory dance but close enough.


    ¡°Awesome?¡± muttered Steve. ¡°Awesome. I...¡± He swallowed and shook his head, his usually calm demeanor shattered.


    ¡°Jack. What. The hell.¡± Daiki glanced at his friend. ¡°I mean couldn''t you have warned...?¡± Jack was still bouncing, his whole body seemingly vibrating with glee. Daiki shook his head and returned his attention to the cyborg. ¡°No. I don¡¯t suppose you could.¡±


    ¡°As if you guys would have believed me.¡±


    ¡°Get this- this- thing away from me. Get it away!¡± Zac finally managed to overcome his paralysis and was trying to scramble backwards into the couch, while making weak shooing gestures at the creature crouching beside him. It wasn''t paying him the slightest attention.


    Jack was sorely tempted to laugh at his nervous friend, but he was afraid that if he started he''d never stop. Adrenaline was fizzing through his body. This wasn''t a trick, it wasn''t a con. It wasn¡¯t shit. It was going to happen. It was happening, right now!


    Of course, his friends didn¡¯t exactly look pleased yet. In fact, they looked a few seconds short of angry.


    Jack told himself to get a grip. He forced himself to stop bouncing and focused on the creature.


    ¡°Ah- hello there, little guy.¡± He crouched in an attempt to find the level of those purple eyes, opting to ignore Zac who was now trying to inch his way over the arm of the couch.


    Is it a dragon? Jack wondered.


    It didn¡¯t really look like a dragon. It looked much more like a tiny pterodactyl. The eyes had followed him down. They had no lashes. Jack found that strangely disconcerting. He imagined the same scale-rimmed eyes with lashes and realized that would be worse.


    ¡°Um, do you have a... a message for me? Or something?¡±


    The creature regarded him without moving as if waiting for a password. Jack was about to stretch out a cautious finger towards it when it opened its wings and began to beat them.


    Zac- who had made it about halfway over the couch arm- froze again, his body twisted, his eyes riveted by the movement.


    The beating motion didn¡¯t suit the bat-style wings, which Jack assumed were intended for gliding. Jack wondered if it was preparing to fly away or lunge at him and braced himself.


    A thin, fluting voice filled the room.


    ¡°Who is willing?¡±


    Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Steve look around, searching for the source of the voice, which seemed to rise from nowhere. The creature hadn¡¯t opened its beak.


    Jack wondered if it was telepathic. After all, magic could do anything, right? Telepathy wasn¡¯t any stranger than cyborgs or dinosaurs or fiery portals to other worlds.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming from the wing,¡± Daiki said, his voice low. He pointed at the thin, green metal rod.


    Jack, annoyed by Daiki being a know-it-all, reluctantly admitted his friend was right. The voice was coming from the mechanical wing. He bent his face close to the shiny green appendage and spoke loudly. ¡°Are- you- the- Alchemist?¡±


    The little lizard-like creature coughed directly into Jack¡¯s face. Jack flinched back before realising it was laughing at him. The creature neatly folded up its wings. It turned its back on Jack, seemingly unconcerned about the giant beings all around it, and started to climb the back of the couch. It thrust its way up, gripping the worn velvet with tiny claws on the ends of its wings, swiftly levering to the top with its stubby back legs.


    As soon as it turned away, Zac took his opportunity to flee. He scrambled to the open bedroom door, only stopping when he had placed Steve between himself and the cyborg. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Now perched on the back of the couch, the little creature flapped its wings again more freely.


    ¡°I am Mico.¡± The voice was somewhat shrill and reminded Jack of music from a wind-up box, stiff but melodious. It also echoed slightly, which made it seem like the voice was directionless. But the creature- Mico- was still staring only at Jack. ¡°Mico is not the Alchemist.¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± Jack stepped closer as the wings grew still and pointed at the metal one. The creature nodded- so it was definitely sentient- and held the wing out for inspection. Jack was careful not to touch the delicate limb.


    Examining it, Jack was mildly disappointed. It wasn¡¯t magic at all that he could see. Nothing glowing or sparkling. The leading part of the arm, near the claws, was hollow and had several tiny openings like those of a flute. Through the holes, he caught glimpses of the same skin-like material that spanned the artificial wing. The silver fluttered inside the green tube with a gentle rhythm. Jack figured air was harvested when Mico beat his wings, and the silver material somehow manipulated it through the openings so it made the right sounds when Mico wished to speak. It was incredible science, but not magic.


    Daiki leaned over for a look along with Jack.


    ¡°It seems so simple,¡± he marveled, then flinched back as the wing flapped again.


    ¡°So is a voice box.¡±


    Daiki nodded and opened his mouth to ask another question when Steve interrupted. He had moved closer as his friends examined the wing. He put a large, warm hand on Jack¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°How did you know this was going to happen, Jack? Why didn¡¯t you warn us?¡±


    Jack tore his eyes away from what he was increasingly convinced must be some kind of tiny dinosaur, and looked up at Steve, before glancing at Zac who was as close to the door as he could get without standing in the hallway.


    Jack tried to make his voice apologetic because everyone still looked kind of pissed off. It was difficult to take them seriously though.


    Surely a dinosaur cyborg was worth giving his friends a little fright?


    ¡°I knew something was going to happen, but not what, exactly.¡± Jack shrugged. ¡°A few days ago I was down in the kitchen and I heard that loud noise, coming from up here. It stopped before I got to the door, but I found this on my floor.¡±


    Jack fetched the black scroll he had left conspicuously on his bed, half-hoping someone would ask about it before the magic happened. No one had. They were too used to the random bits and pieces that were always floating around his room.


    Jack unwound the thick, black sheet of what he assumed was paper. Most of the words on it were penned in pearly white ink, vivid against the dark fibrous material. Above the white words, a symbol was embossed with the same bright, metallic green color as Mico¡¯s artificial arm. The green insignia looked like an open number four with a curly flourish on the first prong.


    Jack had researched the symbol online. It was the alchemical symbol for Jupiter.


    Jack read the letter aloud.


    Greetings Jack,


    Thank you for your recent application for our advertised apprentice position. Your attempt on the test was exemplary.


    I would like you to come in for an interview. I have scheduled this interview for 11.59pm, on January the 17th, in Cynos Castle, my place of residence.


    If you are still interested, please be advised that this is a live-in position and that, if you accept the job, you must remain in it for at least one year before a reassessment can take place.


    This term will commence immediately following the interview, all parties being amenable. Otherwise, you will be returned home.


    You will be unable to visit your home during the course of the year. However, members of your family (up to three) may accompany you and assist you with the job. The same time period and the aforementioned rules of employment will apply to them also.


    These family members must present themselves at the time of your interview. However, they do not need to complete the interview for you to be considered.


    As the nature of this job inclines the uninitiated to skepticism, I will send my representative to the coordinates you have provided. I trust this will clear up all doubts about the veracity of my claim that I am The Alchemist and the arbiter of my world, which is not the world in which you currently reside.


    My representative will arrive at 3.42pm on January the 4th. He will be able to stay in your world for five hours or less. Please confirm to him whether you and your (up to three) family members are interested in the position.


    If your answer is in the affirmative, further instructions will follow.


    I hope to meet you soon.


    Indubitably,


    The Alchemist


    P.S. Please do not attempt to harm, detain, or make any recordings of my representative. He has means of protecting himself.


    Jack finished reading and looked up from the white ink flourishes. His friends were staring at him. He tried to figure out if they were excited or just mad.


    ¡°Who is willing?¡± The flutish voice rose again over the soft beat of wings.


    ¡°So, um... who''s up for a road trip?¡± Jack grinned weakly as he tossed the scroll onto his bed. There was a long pause. The official representative of the Alchemist tugged at a loose thread on the couch with his beak.


    ¡°Let me get this straight, Jack,¡± Daiki said, breaking the silence. ¡°You''re actually thinking about going to this¡­ interview? With some guy calling himself ¡®The Alchemist¡¯? An alchemist, of all things.¡± His voice was sharp enough to draw blood. ¡°Alchemy is a joke! They''re those idiots who thought you could turn lead into gold using¡­ moonlight and¡­ and butterfly wings. But this...¡± Daiki shook his head. The purple spikes of his hair quivered. ¡°This could be dangerous. Damn, Jack, you have no idea what this guy wants.¡±


    ¡°Sure I do,¡± Jack said, lightly. ¡°He wants an apprentice.¡±


    Daiki¡¯s eyes flashed, but then he closed them and took a deep breath. ¡°This is the dumbest thing you¡¯ve ever done,¡± he said, his voice icy. ¡°Leave me out of it.¡±


    He picked up his backpack as if to leave, but didn¡¯t move away from the couch.


    ¡°What is an arbiter, anyway?¡± Steve asked hesitantly as if he would rather not know. Zac, still standing behind his larger friend, had not taken his eyes from Mico, but appeared to be drinking in every word.


    ¡°Like¡­ a guy who solves arguments, and acts as a judge.¡± Jack spoke quickly before Daiki could stick his nose in again. He was losing control of this situation. Who would have known that Daiki would be such a grouch about this? ¡°Kind of like a ruler, but not really.¡±


    ¡°And you want us to come with you?¡± Steve said. ¡°You want us to just, uh... beam¡­ to another world. For a whole year.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°Jack¡­ do you really think we¡¯re going to do that?¡±


    In the silence that followed, as he searched for an appropriate answer, Jack could hear cars in the street outside.


    He suddenly thought of his mother, driving a truck somewhere, shifting boxes from one warehouse to another, hundreds of kilometers away. If he could take her with him, he would. But that wasn¡¯t possible. Not yet anyway.


    And aside from her (and his grandmother), the only people in the world he considered to be family were in the room with him, right now. The Alchemist had said he could bring family members. She didn¡¯t say anything about that family needing to be related by blood.


    They had to go. They just had to.


    Besides, they¡¯d regret it if they didn¡¯t come. It was an adventure in another dimension.


    Who wouldn¡¯t jump at the chance to experience something like that?

 2: Who Is Willing? (II)

    ¡°No. Fucking. Way.¡± Zac¡¯s voice was almost as high as Mico¡¯s when he finally spoke. It left no room for compromise. ¡°I am not going through some portal that leads who-knows-where and getting killed just because you don''t like doing homework, Jack.¡±


    ¡°It''s not about homework!¡± Jack couldn''t understand why they weren''t more excited. What else was there to say? Didn¡¯t they get it? There was another world out there. One that promised adventure, fame, and riches. One filled with wonders. What more did they want?


    And what choice did he have? No matter what, he had to go. His stomach tumbled over itself.


    ¡°Look. I thought you guys would be excited. I thought you''d want to go with me. But I''m going whether you do or not.¡± He couldn''t tell them the reason he had to go. Telling that sob-story would make everything ten times worse.


    ¡°Acceptance one.¡±


    The creature¡¯s purple eyes finally broke their intense observation of Jack and drifted over Jack¡¯s friends, as if waiting for another declaration of intent.


    ¡°Jack... I need to think about this,¡± Steve said. ¡°What will Zoe say?¡±


    ¡°What''re a few dimensions between friends?¡± Oh yeah, keep up the lame jokes, Jack told himself. Like that¡¯s helping.


    Jack grimaced at the look on Steve¡¯s face. ¡°Sorry. But, honestly, it''s only a year. That¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Steve nodded, but his face was somber and stiff. Not like Steve at all.


    ¡°Nothing, huh? Is that what you''re going to tell your mother?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Jack rocked on his heels, clasping his hands behind his back. ¡°Well, as far as my mother knows I''m about to start an internship in South Africa.¡±


    Daiki snorted. He¡¯d slipped behind the couch, his head directly behind Mico, his dark eyes fixed on the little cyborg. A small camera was in his hands and he was fiddling with the settings.


    ¡°You''re telling me Jean bought that?¡± he said. ¡°She knows what you¡¯re like.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, she did.¡± Jack shrugged, trying to keep his voice light. ¡°Mostly because I actually, really got into an internship in South Africa.¡±


    His mother had been so proud once he¡¯d convinced her it was for real. Jack hated lying to her. As if he would go to South Africa for a piddling internship at a time like this. The only reason he¡¯d even applied for the position in the first place was to appease the school guidance counselor.


    ¡°Jack, you¡¯re out of your mind,¡± Zac said. ¡°If you¡¯ve got an internship in South Africa, then just bloody go South Africa.¡±


    Now that they were talking and Mico had spent several minutes without making any sudden moves, Zac had relaxed a little. He resumed his usual tapping, bouncing one foot rapidly off the floor. Mico appeared to be listening to the beat with his small head cocked to the side, but his eyes were still wandering the room.


    Daiki inched closer to the little creature, bringing his camera up slowly.


    ¡°Daiki, that''s not a good idea...¡±


    Snap!


    Mico''s head darted around, twisting a full 180 degrees almost quicker than Jack could follow, and bit the camera, yanking it from Daiki''s hand. Before anyone could react, the claws on the tip of his metal wing had torn through the plastic silver casing, shredding it like tissue paper. Within moments, the camera was broken beyond repair.


    Dangling the mess of glass, metal, and plastic from his other wing, Mico considered it for a moment without blinking. His metal fingers probed the wreckage. The SD card was uncovered and pierced by a single claw.


    Reaching out his cyborg wing, Mico offered the ruined card to Daiki.


    ¡°That was so cool.¡± Jack leaned in to examine the demolished camera. ¡°He completely totaled it!¡±


    Daiki stared at the proffered card for a long moment without touching it. His face had drained of color.


    ¡°I had stuff on there that wasn''t backed up...¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Daiki, but- the letter did say no recordings-¡±


    Jack tried to make himself sound sorry. He wasn¡¯t happy because it was Daiki¡¯s camera. That would make him a bad person. He was just thrilled to see what Mico could do.


    And so what? Daiki already said he wasn¡¯t coming. And he could afford a dozen new cameras with all that grant money he had won.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea to piss off a cyborg...¡±


    ¡°I don''t fucking need this,¡± Daiki said. Jack flinched at the icy fury in his friend¡¯s voice. Daiki¡¯s hands clenched into fists, trembling with anger.


    ¡°I have a scholarship. I''m going to New York. You lot can do whatever you fucking want.¡±


    Without another word, Daiki pushed past Steve and Zac. He stomped down the stairs and slammed the front door so hard the sound vibrated throughout the house.


    If there had been any chance of getting Daiki into the boat, Jack had just ruined it. His stomach clenched, his glee over the camera mishap shriveled to nothing.


    Mico blinked his big, round eyes and shook off the SD card onto the rest of the camera wreckage, piled behind the couch. He began to pick plastic slivers of the casing from his wing with his long beak, dropping them after the card, one by one.


    ¡°Zac, what about you?¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Zac was holding onto the door frame, his usually neat hair sticking in clumps to the sweat on his face. Jack eyed him and gradually realized it was a miracle that Zac had stayed in the room that long, particularly after Daiki had stormed out.


    ¡°I want you to come with me, Zac.¡± Jack tried to soften his voice. ¡°Come on, you''d get away from your parents. Have an adventure. This is the chance of a lifetime!¡±


    Zac opened his mouth to say something, but Jack rode over him.


    ¡°Just look at this guy. Look at his wing.¡± Jack spread his hands to frame the cybernetic limb. ¡°Do you know what it means? Someone over there is a master musician and a computer scientist. How else could they get this to work?¡±


    ¡°Robotics and computer science aren''t exactly the same thing...¡± Zac said, but he took a step back into the room. Music was his weakness and always had been.


    ¡°The Alchemist is a musician,¡± Mico informed them helpfully.


    ¡°That is pretty cool,¡± Zac admitted, leaning around Steve to take a closer look at the waving wing (if five feet away could be called close). This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Pretty cool? It''s amazing! Just think what you''d be able to do if you spent a year studying that kind of technology...¡±


    ¡°Jack. I already told you. No fucking way,¡± Zac said as he edged back to the door. ¡°My parents would never allow me to...¡±


    ¡°Not even if you told them you got an internship in South Africa?¡±


    Zac shot Jack an incredulous look, then exchanged a glance with Steve.


    ¡°You''re kidding me, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can just use all the stuff they sent me. That ought to convince your parents.¡± Jack shrugged, trying hard not to sound defensive. It was never good when they started giving each other those glances. Those ¡°what the hell is he thinking and how can we get out of it¡± glances.


    ¡°Heck, they''ll believe anything you tell them. As long as you don''t mention my name...¡±


    Zac opened his mouth, then shut it again. He frowned. ¡°What kind of internship is it?¡±


    ¡°What kind do you want it to be?¡±


    Jack let his expansive smile fade as Zac glared at him. ¡°OK, OK. It''s in communications and media.¡±


    Jack bundled up a pile of brochures and papers that had been scattered on his desk and trotted over to thrust them into Zac''s arms. ¡°You could easily tailor it to sound like it was something to do with programming.¡±


    Zac glanced down at the brochures, then scrutinized the little cyborg again. Mico had finished preening and was gently waving his wing back and forth, emitting a sweet, quiet hum, like the fading note of a bell. Zac licked his lips and looked almost wistful for a few seconds, but then he shook his head.


    ¡°No- no. Daiki isn''t going. Steve isn''t going...¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say that,¡± Steve said, quietly, but Zac ignored him.


    ¡°I- I''d better get home, Jack. I¡¯m late. My parents are going to be mad enough as it is.¡±


    ¡°Just think about it, Zac. It wouldn''t be the same without you.¡± Jack patted his friend awkwardly on the shoulder and watched him go, still clutching the internship papers, and with one last glance at Mico.


    ¡°So what am I going to tell my parents, Jack? Got another internship up your sleeve for me?¡± Steve smiled, but there wasn''t much humor in his face.


    ¡°Steve, you should be doing more with your life than working on that boat.¡±


    Two years ago Steve had blown off his last year of high school to start in the family business. It paid a lot, but it was rough and difficult work and Steve had the scars to prove it. Worst of all, Jack knew that Steve hated the job. If nothing else, Jack wanted his friend- his best friend- to get away from that life.


    ¡°I am.¡± Steve folded his arms defensively. ¡°I''ve been taking a few night courses at the Polytechnic.¡±


    ¡°What, in nursing?¡±


    Zoe was taking night courses in nursing. Jack didn''t know where the pair of them found the time to sleep.


    ¡°No.¡± Steve inspected his feet and Jack wondered if he was prying too much. He exchanged a puzzled glance with the dinosaur. At any rate, Jack¡¯s glance was puzzled. Mico''s was as coolly reptilian as ever.


    ¡°No, I''ve been taking courses in animal care. You know- husbandry and management. Stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°That''s awesome!¡± Jack didn''t miss the look of relief on Steve''s face. He suppressed an exasperated sigh.


    As if I¡¯d think he was fooling himself or something. Steve was far too humble. It was a strange quality in combination with his large frame and blunt face.


    ¡°You''re wonderful with animals, Steve. You should be a vet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I couldn''t be a vet. But Zoe thinks I might be able to find work on.. on a farm or something...¡±


    Jack heard the yearning buried in that ¡°or something¡± but he ignored it to focus on a different part of the sentence.


    ¡°Zoe.¡± Jack hadn¡¯t seen it coming. But he should have. ¡°You won¡¯t leave Zoe, will you?¡±


    It wasn''t exactly a question.


    ¡°Jack... you know I¡¯m always up for your¡­ plans. Your adventures. But I¡­ I don¡¯t think I could just skip out for a whole year. She''s¡­ she¡¯s my family.¡±


    Steve looked absolutely miserable as he said it. Jack realized it was the most unhappy he had seen Steve in a while.


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, I get it.¡±


    Jack did get it. Unlike Jack and Daiki, Steve had both parents at home. A fat lot of good it had done him. Neither of them was exactly stellar examples of parenthood. Steve had basically been raised by one of his older sisters, and she had left for university as soon as she was old enough.


    In spite of his upbringing, Steve had turned out OK. He had a big heart. And Zoe seemed like a decent girl. They deserved each other. Jack was happy his friend had found someone who made him so happy.


    It still hurt.


    Jack had been sure the one person he could count on for this was Steve.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Jack swallowed the lump in his throat. It descended to join the pile in his stomach. He tried to sound nonchalant. ¡°I''ll just go by myself. I''ll be fine.¡±


    Jack contemplated the gleaming cyborg, still perched on the back of his tattered green couch, in the middle of his shabby little room. Who needs friends anyway? He¡¯d just spent an entire year without them. He could survive another one.


    ¡°Jack... don''t go,¡± Steve said and squeezed Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°You don''t have to say ¡®yes¡¯. I know this is exciting and all but...¡±


    ¡°Exciting?¡± Jack forced a laugh. ¡°This is way past exciting.¡± Shrugging off Steve¡¯s hand, Jack gripped the couch until his fingers hurt. ¡°Don''t you get it? This changes everything.¡± He waved a hand at the dinosaur. ¡°This is proof of... of... everything! There are other dimensions and magic and wizards and dragons. There could be Gods out there. There could be a panacea.¡±


    Steve mouthed the unfamiliar word, his brows drawn. Jack rushed ahead with his argument.


    ¡°This means there¡¯s something to believe in. Wishes can come true.¡±


    ¡°Mico is not a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Jack this isn¡¯t a fantasy¡­¡±


    Jack waved his hands wildly, indicating the little cyborg. ¡°Um, hello? Have you seen this guy right here? He just flew in a few minutes ago¡­ through a portal of fire.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not proof that this is magic.¡± It was Steve¡¯s turn to sound exasperated. ¡°It¡¯s more like something out of a science fiction movie.¡±


    ¡°What difference does it make? I''m not going to say no. I''m sorry.¡± The pitch of his voice was getting too high, but adrenaline was pumping through Jack and he couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°I''m not going to stay here and safe and boring when I can take this dinosaur-cyborg by the claw, jump into his fiery portal and have a real adventure.¡±


    Jack paused for breath as Mico carefully tucked his claws against his scaly body. It made him look particularly awkward, and slurred his words somewhat when he vibrated his wing.


    ¡°You may not jump through the portal today.¡±


    Jack threw his hands up. ¡°I was making a point!¡±


    Steve set his lips and closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°I guess...¡± He opened them again. ¡°I mean- well, I still don''t like it, Jack. But¡­¡±


    He stared hard at Mico and apparently decided the tiny creature wasn¡¯t a threat to his friend. ¡°I really have to go see Zoe now. I''ll talk to you about it soon. Just be careful.¡±


    Steve walked through the doorway, then paused. ¡°And don''t go anywhere before then, OK?¡±


    ¡°Departure is in ten days.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I won''t go anywhere.¡±


    Steve left. Jack listened to him thump down the stairs and out the front door. It closed with a barely audible snick. A few seconds later the motorcycle started, a dull roar through the window that faded as Steve drove down the street. He turned the corner and he was gone. They were all gone.


    Jack sagged onto the couch. He was spent. Tired and sad and utterly alone.


    All that stuff about wizards and dragons. That was a good reason to go if Jack did say so himself. Compelling even.


    But it wasn''t the reason Jack had to go to the other world. Steve thought his friend had a choice, but he didn¡¯t. Not really.


    Jack reached out a slow and careful finger. When the little creature didn¡¯t move away he gently rubbed his fingertip on its skull. Mico¡¯s scaly head was about the same size as a ping-pong ball. The dinosaur''s skin was softer than Jack expected. It felt a bit like his mother''s faux leather handbag.


    Mico crouched under the stroking and his eyelids drifted down until there was only a fragment of purple visible under each one. A low hum issued from his quivering wing.


    ¡°You''re purring, aren''t you? I have so many things I want to ask you.¡± Jack sighed and leaned back. He flinched only slightly as the dinosaur scrambled down off the back of the couch and curled up in his lap. The small, half-metal creature was surprisingly warm.


    ¡°One acceptance?¡±


    Jack stared into the middle distance, turning the day over in his mind, trying to think of another argument, of one more way to convince his friends. It couldn¡¯t be over. Not yet.


    ¡°No. They''re coming with me. I don''t know how. But they''re definitely coming.¡±


    ¡°Acceptance two through four.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.... what?¡± Jack¡¯s gaze snapped down as the tiny dinosaur rubbed its head affectionately against his hand, then thrust its feet against his lap. Mico launched into the middle of the room and vanished in an abrupt blaze of green light.


    The burning after-image of a portal lingered in Jack''s sight for a long time.

 3: Mouth The Word Magic (I)

    When something amazing happened, the first instinctual urge that enveloped Jack was to talk about it with all his friends. They had spent hours analyzing the latest superhero flick or mulling over the details of a well-pulled prank. Talking about it was often more fun than the event itself.


    Never had the impulse to do just that burned so strongly in Jack as in the week before his interview to be an Alchemist¡¯s assistant. It was like holding back an avalanche in his throat. Like swallowing a whole mountain to avoid destroying the villagers below.


    Jack might not understand why his friends were so reluctant to make the journey, but he knew them well enough to know that letting go a thundering mess of excitement was the absolute worst way to convince them.


    The best approach was gentle. Let them come to the mountain.


    Jack visited Steve¡¯s house three days in a row, ignoring the old beer cans and cigarette stubs that littered the front stoop. He even bit back his sarcasm when Steve¡¯s dad ignored him entirely in favor of the TV.


    Each day Jack made a big fuss out of Grace, Steve¡¯s elderly Labrador-cross, and then just hung out as if he didn¡¯t have anything more important to do. Steve was having a rare break from working on the fishing boat while his uncle was on vacation. So Jack let Steve decide what they did each day.


    The house was small and dark, and swelteringly hot in the middle of summer. So Steve and Jack mostly swam and drank beer down at the beach with Zoe, her brothers, and a collection of miscellaneous friends and mates.


    The brothers were all tall, dark, and handsome, and seemed to spend half their time teasing their little sister and her friends, and the other half making-out with their particular partner of the week.


    Jack didn¡¯t want to talk about the interview in front of Zoe, let alone the others, but it sat there between him and Steve. A big, ugly mountain that made it very difficult to concentrate on anything else. So the hours at the beach passed in a kind of blur for Jack. He spent the time suppressing a strange mixture of excitement and bitterness until he felt he might choke on it. Another world. Another chance.


    Yet, he said not a word.


    *


    An email from the Alchemist had arrived a few hours after Mico disappeared back into nothing. How she could send him emails from another dimension was something Jack looked forward to finding out.


    The message asked for appropriate GPS coordinates to position the portal Jack would step through for the interview. This portal would be too loud and too bright to escape notice in suburbia even if he could get his mother out of the house, so the coordinates needed to be for an isolated position.


    The email also advised that, before the interview, there would be one last test. A practical exam. Jack would have to complete it in order to even be considered for the interview. The email was very vague about what the exam would entail, so Jack spent a long time pondering what it could possibly involve. His only hint was a list of suggestions on what he needed to bring with him on the journey.


    It read like a summer camp list, with objects ranging from binoculars to bug spray, survival manuals to portable solar panels. Luckily most of it was stuff Jack had stuffed in various cupboards of his house, from camping with his friends. Anything else could easily be explained away as being required for his internship in South Africa.


    There was also a special ¡°Required¡± list of various sweet foodstuffs, ranging from gummy bears to candy bars to a specific brand of chocolate chips. Jack didn''t think many summer camps asked the kids to bring such a specific list of snacks and suspected that the Alchemist simply had a sweet tooth.


    So, Jack had no trouble filling a backpack for his pretend internship. The email included a list of items for family members to bring as well, and Jack forwarded that, along with his carefully chosen GPS coordinates, to his friends.


    None of them replied.


    Jack tried to find short spaces of time when he had Steve to himself, so they could talk, if Steve felt so inclined but, even as they hung out together on the beach, it felt like his friend was avoiding him.


    There were only a few short moments when Jack managed to get Steve alone. Times when Zoe was at work and her brothers were distracted, moments at the beginning of the day, when Steve was grooming Grace, or at the end of the day when they were scrambling up the dunes and back to the beach parking lot.


    On the third day, Jack finally snapped and let a bit of it out. He tried explaining, and then bargaining, and then coaxing. He even tried a little bit of begging.


    In response, Steve said very little, and always turned his eyes away. He didn¡¯t even say anything when Jack outright explained the coordinates he had chosen for the portal to appear. It was supposedly a place with meaning for them both, but even that didn¡¯t seem to matter.


    Eight years of friendship and none of it mattered.


    Work notwithstanding, Zoe was always there, always smiling, and always asking Jack if he was feeling alright because he was being awfully quiet. She was always so nice. It just added to the bitterness inside Jack.


    Steve dropped him off at home at the end of the third day just as the streetlamps began to shine. Jack hoped he could coax his friend inside for dinner, but Steve didn¡¯t even bother to remove his helmet. He was getting ready to drive away when Jack grabbed his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m really going to miss you, Steve,¡± Jack didn¡¯t have to fake the emotion in his voice. ¡°I probably won¡¯t see you again for a long time. If ever.¡±


    Steve heaved a sigh and took off the helmet, his damp, blond hair plastered across his forehead.


    Jack studied his friend¡¯s face, trying to work out what he was thinking. Steve looked miserable.


    Was this ploy working? For a moment, Jack wondered if he should just tell Steve the real reason he had to get this job. There was no way Steve would refuse him then. It was the ultimate guilt trip.


    Jack couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to do it.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t go, Jack. What if you get into trouble?¡±


    ¡°Well, then I guess I¡¯ll have to look after myself.¡±


    Jack knew his words would wound his friend... but he was wounded, too. Why did Steve have to get a girlfriend? Why did he have to care about her so much? If he understood how much Jack really needed him...


    Steve grabbed Jack up in a hug, almost knocking over his bike in the process, and then drove off without another word.


    It was only after the noise of the motorcycle had died away that Jack realized Daiki was in his bedroom window, staring at him from across the street.


    They looked at each other for a long moment before Jack turned away and shuffled home.


    *


    It was no use trying to see Zac in person. Jack hadn¡¯t been welcome in his friend¡¯s family home for a long time. He tried emailing and texting and even calling, but Zac never picked up, and only sent very curt replies, most of them revolving around the word ¡°No.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    So both Steve and Zac had made it very clear that they weren¡¯t coming.


    Which left only Daiki, and that wasn¡¯t going to happen.


    Jack had always considered Daiki a longshot even if he had his other friends by his side. Daiki was too attached to his scholarship, to his plan of being a famous artist one day. There would be no convincing him now.


    So, with a week to go, Jack did something he almost never did. He gave up. None of his friends were going to the other world with him. They had abandoned him, just like he¡¯d always suspected they might, in the darkest corner of his mind. He was on his own.


    He spent the next few days shoring up his story about the internship (which was happening way too quickly for his mother¡¯s comfort), making up a fake itinerary and even buying a real bus ticket to the international airport in Auckland so that he could pretend to go there for his fake flight. He scheduled the imaginary flight right in the middle of an important truck run, so his mother wouldn¡¯t be able to go with him to the big city to see him off.


    His mother protested, saying she would get out of the job, but her boss was a jerk and Jack knew she couldn''t afford to lose the pay. She had been single-handedly supporting her own mother for years now, in private care. Jack¡¯s grandmother had to take precedence over everything, and they both knew that kind of care didn¡¯t come cheap.


    The day before he was supposed to get on the bus to go to his fake flight, Jack and his mother went to see his grandmother in the hospice. The corridor reeked of disinfectant and lavender, the walls were pale, sickly pink, and Jack had to bite down on a familiar prickle of discomfort. He hated visiting her here.


    His grandmother had once been one of his favorite people in the world. She had left her life in Wellington, moving to their Podunk town to be closer to her daughter and to help out occasionally with babysitting when Jack was young.


    After his father left, she had lived in their house for days at a time while her daughter was away, trying to make ends meet. Eventually, it just made sense for her to move in.


    Jack¡¯s first memory of his grandmother was of her standing at the front door, come to babysit with a rush of garlic-scented air, a stack of old science fiction magazines, and two boxes of pizza for them to share. She was even shorter than Jack, had long, curly, dyed red hair, and sported chunky necklaces and paint-stained jeans. Jack had adored her.


    Later that same day, she had become his first conspirator. He would never forget the fear that rushed through him when he broke his mother¡¯s lamp, and how his grandmother had somehow made it all OK.


    His mother had never noticed that the lamp had changed color, but Jack was reminded of his tiny, sweetly cunning grandmother whenever he saw it.


    Once she had properly moved in, his grandmother made his lunch every morning (with real homemade cookies, not the crunchy store-bought ones his friends had) and picked him up from school on her scooter every afternoon.


    She treated homework as a necessary evil, something to get out of the way so they could get to the interesting part of the day, together. She never pinched his cheeks or asked what he had done in school that day. She saw Jack, perhaps better than anyone else in the world ever did.


    Jack couldn¡¯t say when it happened exactly. The change came gradually. So gradually no one in the house could admit to it for a long time.


    One day his mother came home and found Jack with his face smeared in concealer. Unfortunately, while his grandmother had taught him many unconventional skills, makeup wasn¡¯t among them.


    He knew she didn¡¯t mean to give him a black eye. It was just like the broken lamp. An accident that had to be hidden from his mother for her own good.


    However, by that point, he had been looking after his grandmother far more often than she looked after him, and he was tired.


    Sometimes Jack wondered if he had really tried hard enough to hide it. Sometimes he wondered if she blamed him for what happened next.


    Less than a year later, his grandmother was in the care facility. Her hair dye grew out, the painted jeans were stored in a box in their garage, and her scooter had been sold long ago.


    Now, she always smelled of lavender.


    His grandmother had changed rooms in the care facility several times over the years, but they had all been identical, right down to the generic, framed flower print on the wall.


    Visits consisted of Jack sitting in the corner, pretending to play with his phone, while his mother attempted to hold his grandmother¡¯s hand. She sometimes wept a little.


    After a while she would go to find a nurse, to ask about any changes since their last visit.


    There were never any changes for the better. Jack didn¡¯t know why she bothered.


    This visit, Jack waited patiently until his mother left the room, and then he took her seat. It was close to the bed, close enough to reach out and try to hold her elderly limbs still. His grandmother jerked and spasmed constantly, her muscles clenching over and over until it exhausted Jack just to watch.


    He let her flail. He knew from experience that her bones were thin now, thin and covered with soft, tissue-paper skin. He didn¡¯t want to hurt her.


    ¡°Grandma,¡± he said, leaning in as close as he dared (sometimes she would try to grab his hair) and speaking softly.


    ¡°Grandma, I have to go away for a little while.¡±


    She kept moving, not speaking, and only staring into space. She didn¡¯t speak much these days.


    Jack pulled a tissue from a box on the table and dabbed at the spit running down her chin.


    ¡°Grandma¡­ I love you. I¡¯ll come back, I promise. I¡¯m going on a real adventure, like the Time Traveler, or Captain Nemo. I¡¯m going to see a new world.¡±


    Her eyes drifted up and focused on him. They were still her eyes, light blue and speckled with green. The only things that remained of her.


    ¡°Greg.¡± She drooled the word, the name of Jack¡¯s father. A man none of them had seen for years before he died.


    Jack rubbed his forehead, his brows pressed together. He didn¡¯t like to think that he looked like his dad.


    ¡°No, grandma, it¡¯s me. Jack.¡±


    Her voice was mangled and she never stopped swaying and jerking on the bed as she spoke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave them, Greg. He¡¯s a good boy.¡±


    Her hand shot out and clapped around Jack¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave. Don¡¯t leave my Jean. Needs you. You¡¯re such a cold bastard.¡±


    She hissed the last word as Jack wrenched his hand away. He felt his heart pounding in his ears.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving,¡± he snapped. ¡°I¡¯m going to take care of her. I mean, I am leaving¡­ but I¡¯ll be coming back.¡±


    She was staring into space again, twitching like some cruel villain was electrocuting her over and over.


    Jack¡¯s eyes prickled. The lavender always affected his allergies.


    His eyes burned all the way home.


    *


    Waiting at the bus station was hard. Jack¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t understand why his friends hadn¡¯t come to see him off. She was indignant about it and even tried to insist on calling Steve.


    Jack pretended that they had already said their goodbyes, and made up some bullshit story about Steve being too upset to come to the bus station. All the while, the avalanche of unsaid words threatened to choke him.


    His mother also insisted on lugging his bag from the car and helping to load it into the bus hold. Her eyes were shiny as she told him to dress warmly (¡±In South Africa, mum?¡±) and be polite to everyone.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I can¡¯t go to the airport with you.¡± Her light blue eyes, so much like her mother¡¯s, were brimming now. ¡°I should have turned down this run.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, mum. Seriously.¡±


    Jack patted her hand and hoped she would pull it together. He hated when she cried. She was going to make him cry if she didn¡¯t quit it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, and it¡¯s only for a year. I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d leave home sometime but¡­¡± Her voice cracked. ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t think it would be so soon¡­¡±


    Jack rarely saw his tough, funny, trucker mother get so emotional. She looked like she was about to completely break down. He gently guided her onto a bench.


    The bus driver was nearby, smoking a cigarette, in no rush to leave.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be just fine, mum. And they have internet where I¡¯m going, so I¡¯ll email you all the time.¡±


    ¡°And call.¡± She sniffed loudly and brushed back her sandy hair.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll call all the time,¡± Jack fibbed, not sure if that was even possible. ¡°You¡¯ll be sick of me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you so much!¡± She flung her arms around him. She was shorter than he was, but not by a lot. She was solid, and warm, and her hugs felt like home.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll be able to save up and come visit you. I¡¯d love to see somewhere like South Africa.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to come.¡± Jack knew she wouldn¡¯t. The care facility was expensive. Jean made a good living, but not enough for vacations all over the world. She couldn¡¯t afford to take the time off, let alone pay for a plane ticket. Unless she won the Lotto, Jack would be free and clear for a year, as soon as he left for his ¡°flight¡±.


    The bus driver crushed out his cigarette.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to go mum. I¡¯ll miss you. I love you.¡±


    He climbed onto the bus. It was surprisingly difficult. Almost like he was climbing a mountain.


    Waves of nausea washed over Jack as he sat in a seat near the front of the bus. His mother stayed at the station and kept her eyes fixed on his window.


    She was still waving as they drove out of sight.

 3: Mouth The Word Magic (II)

    Three days later, Jack woke to the hiss and burble of the ocean surf. For a long time, he didn''t move and just stared blankly at the tent ceiling. This was the day his life would change forever. He wasn¡¯t sure how to process it. It was easier to just lie there and keep his mind clear for a few more moments.


    Not to mention that sleeping on sand isn¡¯t nearly as comfortable as it might look. Jack wasn¡¯t looking forward to discovering all new sore spots to go with the ones he¡¯d already developed over the last few nights.


    He might have laid there forever, but the sun was leaking through the tent flap and Jack had never really enjoyed sleeping in.


    He pushed himself onto his knees, groaning over his aching muscles, and began to roll up his sleeping bag.


    Jack had waited on the bus after leaving his mother, his stomach churning, until they stopped just outside of town to pick up some new passengers. He¡¯d hopped out, asking for his bag and ignoring the annoyed harrumph of the driver.


    Jack had hitched back into town, getting himself dropped off as close as possible to the coordinates he¡¯d sent to the Alchemist, then walked the rest of the way.


    He had spent the next few days completely alone. Solitude wasn¡¯t easy for Jack and knowing what was to come made it exponentially worse.


    Jack hoped it was worth it in the end.


    He stumbled out of the tent and padded down the dark sand to splash cold seawater on his face.


    He and his friends had spent endless summers on this black sand beach, swimming, building castles and bonfires, constructing naked sand people or just throwing a ball around. The beach was cupped between two sheer cliff-faces with a steep strip of forest between them. There were only two ways to reach it. You could access it by boat or hike for half an hour and then scramble downhill. It was so tiny and secluded, few people bothered to come back to it if they ever discovered it in the first place.


    For a pack of teenage boys, it had been a private paradise.


    Jack was happy to see it again before he left. As he dismantled his tent, beginning his third day on his own, a year was beginning to look like a lifetime. The only break in the monotony had been the carefully-timed phone call he¡¯d placed to his mother when he ¡°arrived in South Africa¡±. He¡¯d used a VPN for authenticity.


    Neither of them had exactly cried, but they came close.


    Jack had to keep telling himself, firmly, that this was for his mother¡¯s own good. One day she would thank him. She would be happy and healthy and waist-deep in a swimming pool of money and she would be overjoyed that her son had lied to her.


    She would not be happy about how often in the last few days he''d got sand in his eyes but, after all, she''d never know about that. He would never tell her.


    His old piece-of-crap cell phone had died almost immediately after he called her and there was no wireless signal this far out for his laptop, so he didn''t even know if his friends were coming to say goodbye. They knew the coordinates. They knew the time frame.


    So far, no one had shown up.


    As much as Jack tried to convince himself that they wouldn¡¯t come and that they didn¡¯t care, his heart leaped at every rustle in the trees, and every shadow that crossed his face. He kept thinking of new arguments he could have used to convince them, and even muttered them aloud, fighting his friends in his imagination, and winning them over again and again. It was somewhat satisfying for a few moments until he remembered it was all pretend. There were no more arguments to make. All he could do was wait.


    *


    Jack spent the morning reading his pocket survival handbook and practicing survival skills with all the enthusiasm he could muster.


    He tried to light a fire in a stack of dead leaves and chocolate wrappers using a magnifying glass (it was so windy, his little pile kept blowing away).


    He dug a hole in the sand at the top of the beach, in an attempt to find fresh water (his water bottles were almost empty by now). That tip didn¡¯t seem to work, as the water in his hole was still quite brackish. Luckily there was a stream emptying out into the sea on one side of the beach, and it was a few minutes work to purify the water and refill his bottles.


    Finally, he began to scout the small chunk of forest that cradled the beach. There didn''t seem to be anything that he recognized as edible. His survival guide was American and didn¡¯t have any native New Zealand plants listed, so it was hard to tell for sure. It made him wonder if the other world would have strange plants and animals, or if it would be basically the same as Earth. He wondered what the practical exam was going to be like. Defeating a monster? Getting past a Sphinx? Solving a maze?


    Whatever it was, Jack hoped he was ready.


    He had folded up the legs of his hiking pants and was about to try digging under the surf for shellfish when his pack beeped. It was his watch alarm, sounding faintly over the noise of the trees in the wind. The time was 11.35am.


    Jack sat down and ate another chocolate muesli bar, forcing himself to swallow it even though his throat was tight. He stared at the faint strokes of color where the blue-green sea met the blue-white sky. Would the sky in the other world be blue? Would there be an ocean? Clouds? Breathable air? Surely, there had to be.


    Windblown sand stung his legs as he shoved the empty chocolate wrapper into his pack with the others. Everything was ready. There was nothing left to do but wait. All by himself.


    Jack jumped back onto his feet, a few pieces of chocolate still clutched, unfinished, in his hand. He couldn¡¯t just sit there. Maybe he still had time to dig up a few shellfish...


    ¡°Jack!¡±


    Jack spun around so quickly he almost fell. His heart inflated so quickly he thought it might burst with joy.


    Zac was standing at the head of the beach, a hiking pack leaning against his leg, and his hair whipping in the wind.


    Daiki was just emerging from the forest behind him, hauling a wheeled suitcase across the skinny tree roots. The wind barely made a ripple in his spiky hair.


    ¡°You... you guys...¡± Jack ran up the beach and threw his arms around Zac.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Zac¡¯s tone was brisk but he clung to Jack for several moments before pushing him away. ¡°Give us some of that chocolate, will you?¡±


    ¡°Zac, your parents¡­ They let you come?¡±


    At the look on Zac¡¯s face, Jack shut up and gave him the chocolate.


    Zac made short work of the candy and Jack fished another couple of bars from his pocket, giving one to Zac, and keeping the other for Daiki, who was still struggling with his suitcase.


    ¡°I thought after I got straight A''s in my first year they would finally let me take a few music classes.¡±


    Zac¡¯s voice was much louder than usual, and Jack suspected it was not just because of the wind.


    ¡°But, well- when they didn''t like that idea I started telling them about this great opportunity I''d been offered in South Africa.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°And they let you go? Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Of course they did.¡± Zac wolfed down the chocolate.


    Jack studied his friend. Really, he thought. Just like that.


    Zac stared steadily back, and Jack decided not to push it.


    ¡°I''m just so happy to have you guys here!¡± He wanted to laugh. And puke, just a little. There was definitely no time to do that, though.


    ¡°Yeah well, they said I could defer my scholarship,¡± Daiki said. ¡°So, you know, it''s no skin off my nose.¡±


    He had finally dragged his suitcase onto the sand and was panting as though it was weighed down with rocks. A huge camera was slung around his neck. ¡°Might get a few good shots or something.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for coming, Daiki.¡±


    Jack said it with complete sincerity and trotted over to help his friend.


    ¡°God, what did you pack in here?¡±


    ¡°Grown up stuff, Squirt. You wouldn''t understand.¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes and kept his mouth shut. Daiki could call him anything he wanted, now that he was here.


    ¡°Yeah right, Daiki.¡± Zac seemed positively giddy. ¡°Your big, throbbing virginity would barely fit in that bag.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut it, gaijin.¡± Daiki screwed up his face at his friend. He sat on his suitcase.


    ¡°Ten minutes to go,¡± Jack said and dragged his own bag over to the others. The shellfish got to live another day.


    ¡°The GPS coordinates are accurate to about four or five meters, so I don''t know exactly where the portal will appear.¡±


    Zac peered nervously at the air around him. ¡°How about you make an educated guess? I don''t want that thing to just burst out of my chest or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it should be over there,¡± Jack waved vaguely down the other end of the beach. Zac took a few steps in the opposite direction.


    ¡°Seven minutes to go.¡± Jack''s stomach was churning. He was regretting that last chocolate bar.


    How much of the sick feeling was excitement and how much was regret? It was wonderful that Daiki and Zac were here. More than wonderful. But Jack couldn¡¯t help but wish that Steve had at least come to say goodbye.


    ¡°Jack are you sure this is safe? I mean... I- I know it''s not safe, but is it safe?¡±


    ¡°Yes, absolutely,¡± Jack said, just as Daiki answered, ¡°of course it isn''t.¡±


    Zac bit his lips like he wished he was somewhere else. Jack noticed for the first time that his usually immaculate friend was wearing odd socks. One was blue and one was brown.


    Even stranger, the buttons on his shirt had been done up wrong. It was almost as though he''d dressed in the dark.


    Before Jack could say anything to Zac, the strange-familiar hum of the opening portal reached his ears.


    At the exact same moment, Steve burst out of the forest.


    Jack¡¯s first emotion was relief. He hadn¡¯t realized how much it meant to him that Steve be there, to say a proper goodbye.


    Then his heart began to race as the sight of his large friend truly sank in. Steve was wearing a backpack. A big one.


    Before Jack could start towards his friend, Zoe pushed through the trees to stand beside Steve. The brown-haired girl was wearing a hiking pack that seemed overlarge on her short frame. Even from a distance, Jack could see they were both sweaty and flushed from running.


    ¡°Oh, thank god,¡± Steve said when he spotted his friends. His voice was barely audible over the wind. He strode down the beach, Zoe tight on his heels. ¡°I didn''t think we were going to make it for a minute there.¡±


    The hum was growing louder, but more slowly this time. It sounded like a bluebottle fly, buzzing from across a small room. The sound was barely discernible over the wind and the waves.


    Jack wondered, in a small corner of his mind, if the speed of sound increase was related to the size of the final portal. The rest of his mind was too excited to concentrate on such a trivial thing.


    ¡°Steve, I''m so glad you made it.¡±


    Jack hugged his best friend, his arms not quite reaching around the pack. He didn¡¯t even care when Steve ruffled his hair.


    As Steve turned to greet Zac, Jack had to clench his fists hard to keep from doing a victory dance. He bit his lip and tasted salt. All of them. He had done it. They were going into this adventure together.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to let you go alone, Jack,¡± Steve started to explain after he finished hugging everyone. ¡°And I was so torn up about it, Zoe couldn''t help but notice. She got the whole story out of me.¡±


    ¡°And what did she think of this story?¡±


    Daiki had stood up from his suitcase and was glaring at Zoe. She frowned back at him, her forehead furrowed with confusion. Jack hoped Steve hadn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°Well... she thought she would come and see for herself. As far as anyone knows we''re doing volunteer work in the Amazon.¡±


    Steve exchanged an amused look with his girlfriend, who smiled at him, her eyes crinkling. ¡°We both left our jobs. And I left Gracie with my sister. She¡¯ll be fine, I think.¡±


    ¡°She can''t come,¡± Daiki said firmly.


    Steve threw Daiki a look of surprise. ¡°I just said I left her with my sister¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha ha Daiki, this, ah... this isn''t exactly a clubhouse,¡± Jack said. He knew exactly who Daiki meant to exclude, and it wasn¡¯t the dog. ¡°Girls don''t have cooties you know.¡±


    By now, the bluebottle was sitting on the edge of his ear. Jack could have kicked Daiki. Steve still had time to change his mind. Now was not the time to argue with him.


    ¡°Jack, didn''t you read your own letter?¡± Daiki raised his voice until he was almost shouting. ¡°It said only three members of your family are allowed. Three. Not three and the squeeze of the week.¡±


    Steve went rigid. ¡°Don''t be an arse, Daiki. Zoe is my girlfriend. I''m not leaving her behind.¡±


    ¡°It''s for her own safety, you idiot!¡± Daiki was just plain yelling now, gesturing with his hands as swirls of black sand flew past his feet. ¡°What if the portal won''t accept five? What if it implodes and traps us in limbo? Or just plain kills us?¡±


    ¡°It won''t,¡± said Steve, but he drew his brows together. ¡°Will it?¡±


    ¡°I''m willing to take that chance,¡± Zoe said.


    At least that''s what Jack thought she said.


    ¡°Guys we don''t have time for this!¡± Jack wasn''t sure if they could hear him, but all their faces pointed in his direction. ¡°When the portal is big enough we have to jump in right away.¡±


    He put his hands to his mouth and yelled as loudly as he could. The hum had become a hissing siren, filling the air and leaving no room for any other sound. ¡°Otherwise we could go deaf, or worse¡­ miss the portal!¡±


    The light had finally appeared, a spot of bright green only a few meters away from them. After such a lengthy build-up of sound, Jack was grateful to see the actual portal grow quickly. In seconds it was the size of his head, and still growing


    He struggled into his pack, then turned to check on his friends. Jack was just in time to see the tail-end of a furious argument, conducted entirely in gestures, between Daiki, Steve, and Zoe.


    Finally, Daiki gave them both the finger and turned his back on them, hauling his suitcase over to stand beside Jack and Zac.


    Daiki looked absolutely disgusted, but still obviously willing to chance it. Jack didn¡¯t have to worry about him.


    Jack glanced at Zac and realized he was shaking. All his giddy courage had drained away, leaving him ashen, but with a determined look on his face. He would come through, Jack was sure.


    Steve and Zoe continued arguing without making a sound. They both seemed worried. Jack bit his lip as he watched them. It was so close¡­ Surely they wouldn¡¯t back out now?


    Steve wanted Zoe to go into the portal before himself, Jack realized, probably because he thought that would be the safest for her. From her gestures, Zoe had obviously decided that Steve should go first, probably for the same reason.


    Finally, she grabbed his hand and mimed jumping in together, and that seemed to satisfy them both. They joined the little group, packs still securely on their backs.


    By now, the portal was twice the size it had been in Jack¡¯s room, and still growing fast, like a huge yawning mouth, the lips painted in green fire. It was almost big enough.


    Jack had to shield his eyes whenever he faced it directly. Although that meant taking his hands off his ears, which wasn¡¯t a lot of fun either. He wished he had thought to keep his sunglasses handy.


    He glanced back at the washed out faces of his friends one last time and tried to fix them in his mind. The sick feeling had returned and was crawling around his stomach.


    Jack noticed Zoe was crying, her tears sparkling green on her face. Concerned, Jack put an inquisitive hand on her arm. Was she that bothered by Daiki?


    She smiled at him in response, her tears running down her cheeks. She mouthed the word ¡°Magic.¡±


    Jack grinned at her and turned back to the portal. Zoe understood. She understood why he could never have said no to this.


    Jack took a deep breath and stepped into the portal.

 4: Lickety-Split (I)

    Jack woke up the next morning, groggy with a splitting headache. His back was cramping, so he tried to flop over onto his stomach. Nothing happened. Jack attempted to move again, but everything was numb and heavy as if he were being smothered by a thick blanket. Was he tangled in the sheets?


    At first, his mind couldn¡¯t accept what was happening and kept trying to shift a limb, a finger, an eyelid, anything. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity of struggle, Jack managed to force his eyes open.


    He immediately wished he had left them closed.


    His vision was filled with a shower of silent, gray static, the kind that washes over you when you stand up too fast.


    He waited for them to clear but the static went on and on. It was a never-ending sheet of dull, grey scribble. The kind that writhes with sickly pastel colors, where your eye tries to focus and can¡¯t quite get a grip on anything solid.


    Numb as he was, Jack could tell that he was moving. Not moving himself, but still moving. He felt it first in the pit of his stomach, the swooping sense of a car cresting a hill and speeding on down.


    Sensation gradually started to return to his limbs, although, try as he might, Jack still couldn¡¯t move them. He was being pushed through the shifting gray static, squeezed through it, by a steady pressure that crawled along his body. The only sound he could discern was his own heartbeat, thumping so slowly Jack couldn¡¯t understand how he was still conscious. The thud, thud, thud sped up fractionally as time went by as if to keep pace with the fear that filled him.


    He was trapped in his own paralyzed body. Trapped in a nightmare world. His mind teetered on the edge of fear, longing to panic and dash itself to pieces against his shifting cage walls.


    Fortunately, while Jack¡¯s thought processes were glacial, they did eventually shift and slip into place.


    I must be in the portal.


    That calmed him somewhat. That meant this hell wouldn¡¯t go on forever. He was just moving from one place to another. Jack wondered if his friends were behind him, but he couldn¡¯t turn to see. All he could do was keep control of his mind, keep it focused on the hope of release.


    Eventually, something changed. The rolling pressure stopped and the sense of movement abated. Maybe this was it. Jack hung in limbo, hoping that he was about to be released back into the world... into any world.


    A blunt force, about the size of a fist, nuzzled up against his back. Another pushed against his chest. He hardly felt them at first, but the pressure increased rapidly until it was crushing him between the two points. They began to move, and Jack was spun and twisted between them, like a worm rolled between the thumb and forefinger of a giant schoolchild.


    Jack tried to push them away and couldn¡¯t move his arms. He tried to run and his legs failed him. He tried to scream and he was unable to even open his mouth. He screamed silently anyway, in his mind, sure that he was about to die.


    In the middle of this nightmare, Jack caught a flash of something bright in the dull static. Three figures sped past him. Three blank faces he recognized, even veiled in the gray. Each was still as a statue, frozen in mid-step.


    A window blinked open, in the corner of Jack¡¯s unmoving eye, a window filled with glorious color. He strained to see more of it, to see through it, but it was too far out of his fixed view. Each frozen body, Zac and Steve and Zoe, seemed to come to life just before they hit the window. Each of them stepped through.


    More than that, he couldn¡¯t see.


    The giant fingers rolled him away and back again so that he was facing the window squarely for a few moments. Finally, he could look past the staticky void to the other side. He could see his friends, staring back at him.


    No, staring through him. Waiting.


    An older man appeared behind his friends. They turned their backs on Jack just as the window winked out of sight.


    The giant fingers toyed with him. Jack was still frozen in limbo, perhaps forever. All he could see was static.


    Jack wanted to scream, but his lips were sewn shut. He couldn¡¯t move his tongue or take a breath. He couldn¡¯t fill his lungs, and he was dying from it, dying for light and life and for air... when air rushed against his skin and the ground fell on top of him.


    As the air hit, right before the ground hit much harder, Jack heard a strange voice whisper, ¡°It''s alright, little one. It''s alright."


    For a long moment, Jack lay still, his mouth open, sucking in great lungfuls of air. Had he actually been dying? Or had it been some kind of weird stasis? Jack had no intention of going back to find out. It had been hideous. Terrible¡­. Really, really uncomfortable. Right?


    The experience was already fading like a dream.


    Jack¡¯s reverie was rudely interrupted when Daiki stumbled over him and fell, landing heavily on Jack''s small frame. The big suitcase fell on top of them both.


    ¡°Ooomf! Get off me!¡±


    ¡°Well get out of the way, you idiot!¡±


    They scrambled out of the path of the open portal, which was eerily silent on this end. Other than the lack of sound, it looked almost the same as the one they stepped through, back on the beach. The same flickering green flames and gray innards, though it wasn''t so blinding here. Jack thought inside the portal seemed to writhe and hurriedly looked away.


    They were in a small forest clearing. The portal light reflected from the surrounding trees, throwing shifting green shadows everywhere, even in the bright daylight.


    ¡°That was horrible.¡± Jack rubbed his arms, trying to shuck the feel of smothering pressure. The experience had mostly faded, like a nightmare after waking, leaving only an impression of fear.


    Daiki shrugged. ¡°It was nothing. Just like stepping through a door.¡±


    Jack was staring incredulously at his blas¨¦ friend when the light flickered. Daiki breathed in sharply and Jack snapped his attention back to the portal, expecting to see Zac or Steve emerging from the void. The portal flickered again, but no one appeared. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Is it supposed to do that?¡± Daiki was standing closer to the fiery hoop and he leaned forward, as though he could look into it, although there was no depth to the gray. It was just a flat wall. There was nothing to see.


    Daiki reached out his hand to touch the center of the hoop. As his hand approached, the light flickered again. Then it vanished, and the portal along with it.


    Making a sound like a strangled cat, Daiki almost lost his balance in his shock. Jack leaped forward to do something, anything, but there was nothing to do.


    The after-image of the portal burned in his eyes, overwhelming the gloomy forest surroundings.


    ¡°What...¡± Daiki spun in a slow circle, searching for another portal. ¡°But where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Oh god,¡± Jack said, his voice breaking as the enormity of what had just happened struck him. ¡°Zac. Steve. Zoe.¡±


    Daiki took a deep, shaking breath. ¡°What should we do?¡± He stared at Jack. ¡°Well? Do something!¡±


    ¡°I can fix this¡­¡± Jack stumbled to the exact spot where the portal had been, but there was nothing there. No scorched soil, no hidden catch, no footprints leading away.


    ¡°I can fix this, I can¡­¡±


    He dug a foot into the forest floor, then dropped to his knees and started scrabbling around, searching, but with no idea what he was looking for. He stared straight up and then all around the clearing, hunting for something. For anything. Any clue.


    There was nothing. They were alone, surrounded by nothing but trees.


    Jack¡¯s mind was blank. He stuttered but nothing useful came out of his mouth.


    ¡°You got us into this Jack¡­¡± Daiki screamed at him. ¡°Do something! Save them!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Jack was back on his feet and rushing wildly around the clearing, trying to find something his mind or hands could seize, someway to get back into control, but there was nothing to see. Nothing to grasp. Only trees in every direction. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°How about we go back in time and warn them not to listen to you?¡± Daiki¡¯s voice was filled with venom. ¡°How the hell should I know what we should do? They¡­ they can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    Daiki walked all around the space where the portal had been, where Jack had tossed up leaves and soil in his frantic search. It was a patch of forest floor like any other.


    ¡°I- I''m sorry.¡± Jack¡¯s legs didn''t want to hold him anymore, and he sank down in the leaf litter.


    ¡°You never freakin'' think, that''s your problem.¡± Daiki was usually the cool one, but right now his features were distorted with emotion.


    Jack buried his face in his hands. His friends were gone. They could be dead, they could be trapped in limbo, and it was all his fault.


    ¡°You just charge off on your little adventures and...¡±


    ¡°Greetings Jack and family members.¡±


    Daiki leaped a foot in the air and Jack started violently, rustling the dead leaves around him. He noted, with the still-rational part of his brain, that the fallen leaves were similar to very dark pine needles. Similar, but not quite the same.


    While looking up for the source of the voice it occurred to him that, without the radiant stain of the portal light, all the greens in this forest were actually black. Black leaves as far as he could see.


    Mico was crouching on a tree branch, on the edge of the clearing, just above their line of sight. He seemed perfectly at home, gripping the silvery bark with the claws of his feet and the trunk of the tree with one hand. His mechanical wing was outstretched, a bright spot of green in the black and gray forest, poised, ready to wave so that Mico could speak.


    ¡°Mico!¡± Jack felt dizzy with relief. He had never been so happy to see anyone as he was to see that tiny pterosaur.


    ¡°Mico, where are the others?¡± Daiki asked urgently.


    ¡°There are no other Micos. There is only Mico.¡±


    ¡°No, Mico, I mean the other- family members. Jack''s family members. The portal closed before they could come through.¡±


    Mico cocked his head, his purple eyes close to black in the sparse light.


    ¡°Acceptance three and four?¡±


    ¡°Uh... and five.¡± Daiki turned to Jack as if waiting for him to chime in. Jack swallowed but didn¡¯t say anything. So Daiki continued.


    ¡°There are three people missing.¡±


    ¡°Only up to three family members permitted.¡±


    Mico said it without a trace of judgment but Daiki gave Jack a pointed look. It took an effort, but Jack made himself speak.


    ¡°Not the time, Daiki.¡± Jack tried to keep his voice steady. ¡°We''re sorry, Mico. Another person came with us. But... we haven''t seen any of them since we stepped through the portal.¡±


    Jack had a vague inkling that he was forgetting something. He pushed it out of his mind.


    ¡°Do you have the required foodstuffs?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Daiki said. ¡°What food? This is no time for food!¡±


    ¡°Jack was asked to provide certain edible items.¡±


    ¡°You''re asking about.... what, that junk-food?¡± Daiki¡¯s eyes flashed and his face twisted with fury. ¡°Our friends are trapped in limbo!¡±


    Daiki lunged forward with his hand outstretched as if he was going to grab the little creature. Mico, however, was perched higher than even Daiki could reach and only peered down at him calmly, not even bothering to shift away. Daiki pounded his fist into the tree instead. He did a double-take after doing so and then poked the trunk with a finger.


    Jack, meanwhile, was throwing down his pack.


    ¡°It''s open! Oh shit, I must have forgotten to close it when I put it on.¡± Jack distinctly recalled checking to make sure the pack was closed. Maybe he had opened it again after that? He couldn''t remember. He couldn''t think straight.


    ¡°The plastic bag is split open... I don''t understand how it could have happened...¡±


    He pulled out the supermarket bag which had been holding the requested candy. The chocolate bars and gummy bears and boiled sweets. All gone. Vanished somewhere in the portal.


    One lonely bag of chocolate chips fell out of the big hole in the bottom of the bag. Otherwise, it was empty.


    Mico landed beside Jack with a crunch of dead leaves.


    ¡°Thank you for the requested items,¡± he said and held out his tiny, non-metallic hand.


    ¡°Mico, you don''t understand. It all fell out.¡±


    Jack heard Daiki''s exasperated sigh and gritted his teeth. Oh like you¡¯re Mr. Perfect, Daiki.


    He was immediately stabbed by remorse at the thought. At least Daiki didn¡¯t lose his friends in limbo.


    ¡°It must be in the portal somewhere. If you open the portal back up, I¡­ I could go look for it.¡±


    Jack was sick to his stomach even thinking of doing going back into the portal, but if it meant finding his friends he would do it. The thought of them, paralyzed in that hell, being pummeled by an over-excited, creepy gray blanket was killing him.


    What was it he¡¯d forgotten? It felt important.


    ¡°Thank you for the requested items,¡± Mico said again, jiggling his claws expectantly.


    Jack gave up and put the large bag of chocolate chips near the tiny hand. Mico grabbed it and bounded with ease to the nearest tree, dragging the bag- which had to weigh more than twice what he did- behind him. He used his metallic claws to scale the tree, which Jack noticed was covered in a thick coat of silvery... fur. In fact, all the trees were covered in fur. If Jack hadn¡¯t been so incredibly anxious, he knew he¡¯d be fascinated.


    Mico paused when he reached the first branch, well above the two humans, and glanced down.


    ¡°Please remain here.¡± He leaped to another tree and disappeared into the gloom.

 4: Lickety-Split (II)

    Jack didn''t look at Daiki. He stood stiffly, his hands clenched, his stomach in knots. Could they be suffocating in there? We need to do something! Should I try to follow Mico?


    Daiki sighed again, heavily, and sat down. He was back to his cool, cynical self.


    ¡°Give it up, Jack. If you clench any harder, you''ll break your insides.¡±


    Jack knew he was right. He tried to relax, although he couldn''t quite bring himself to sit down. He shifted closer to his friend.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Daiki said, tonelessly. ¡°For all we know, they''re already dead.¡±


    ¡°Daiki!¡± Jack almost choked on the name. ¡°Why''ve you gotta be such a... such an arsehole?¡±


    Daiki lifted his eyes slowly to meet Jack''s. ¡°I''m not the one who may have sentenced my friends to death. And for what?¡± He gestured at the weird trees. They were the only things in sight. ¡°We''re in a fucking forest. I''m not seeing any piles of riches around here, are you?¡±


    A jagged mountain of hysteria was working its way up Jack¡¯s throat, making it painful to swallow. Or maybe it was guilt or just plain nausea. Too weary to pick between them., Jack sat down, and stared numbly into space.


    ¡°I''m sorry Daiki.¡± It was all he could say and it was completely inadequate. ¡°I never should have asked you guys to come.¡±


    Daiki only shrugged and looked away.


    Before Jack could say sorry again, Mico reappeared on the same branch, with no chocolate chips in sight.


    ¡°Acceptance Three through Five are safe in another location.¡±


    Daiki covered his face in his hands while Jack flopped on his back in the leaves and let the relief wash over him, like warm water over chilled skin. They were safe. His friends were OK.


    He was more than willing to take Mico''s word for it. After all, what choice did he have?


    ¡°Are they somewhere in the forest?¡±


    Jack was taking a deep breath to start calling for Steve and Zac when Mico shook his head. He waved his wing.


    ¡°They are safe. You will find them after your interview.¡±


    ¡°Now look here screw-brain...¡± Daiki stood up and advanced again on Mico¡¯s tree.


    ¡°My brain is almost wholly organic.¡±


    Was it Jack''s imagination or did Mico narrow his eyes a little? There was no emotion in his stiff, musical voice, and it was almost impossible to tell whether he was joking or not.


    ¡°It''s fine, Mico,¡± Jack tried to head off a confrontation. ¡°It¡¯s great, even. Thank god they¡¯re OK. Just... show us the way out, please.¡±


    Mico focused on Jack and swung his wing solemnly through the air. His voice rang through the trees.


    ¡°The practical test has begun. In order to pass it, you must find your way to Cynos Castle by midnight. I have been instructed to provide you with this advice.¡±


    Mico produced a small scroll that had been strapped to his back with a delicate green ribbon. Jack was positive it hadn''t been there when he''d nabbed the chocolate chips. And where had that bag disappeared to anyway? The cyborg hadn''t been gone that long. Was someone hidden just off the clearing? Perhaps crouching behind a tree trunk, listening to every word they said?


    Jack stepped forward and caught the dark scroll as Mico dropped it. It was only the size of his thumb and tightly wrapped, with a wax seal. The same curly four, the symbol of Jupiter, was stamped into the seal.


    ¡°Sometimes you cannot see the trees for the forest,¡± Mico said.


    ¡°That''s not how it goes.¡± Daiki seemed determined to dislike the little creature now. ¡°It''s supposed to be ''sometimes you can''t see the forest for the trees.''¡±


    Mico inspected Daiki with large, gloom-dark eyes and said nothing.


    Jack pulled open the scroll. The strange-familiar glyph gleamed green in the weak sunlight.


    Greetings Jack,


    I trust you and your family have arrived comfortably, and I thank you in advance for the chocolate chips and other items. By now, Mico has explained the test we wish you to complete. You must travel through Nimble Woods and arrive at my castle in time for your interview at midnight tonight.


    This castle is my own home and may be yours too, one day, if you become my apprentice and survive to that point.


    Be sure to examine your surroundings carefully and show courtesy to anyone you may encounter. I have no doubt that you will complete the test lickety-split.


    Hurry. There will be a happy surprise for you at the end of your task.


    Effulgently,


    The Alchemist


    P.S. I''m afraid that, until you have completed the test and accepted the position, I have to ask you to refrain from making video, audio, and/or pictorial recordings of any kind.


    ¡°A happy surprise,¡± said Daiki, suspiciously. ¡°Is that the rest of the group? Why did he separate us?¡±


    ¡°Maybe five people together could solve the test too easily?¡± Jack suggested, watching Mico for any reaction to his speculation. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    There was none. Mico was waving his metal wing gently in the air, making a sound like a child humming, a sound that went on far longer than any kid would have the breath to make. The little creature didn¡¯t appear to be listening to their conversation.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s lucky for me I ended up with the genius then, isn''t it?¡±


    Jack couldn''t tell if Daiki was being sarcastic. Could Daiki himself tell what was sarcasm and what was his honest opinion these days?


    All Jack knew was that he certainly didn''t feel like a genius at the moment, but maybe that was OK.


    The sick feeling in his stomach had receded a little. Here was a task to complete, a puzzle to solve. The sooner he solved it the sooner he would see his friends again, safe and sound. The tone of the letter was friendly enough, even if there was that quip about him not surviving to inherit the castle.


    Maybe Steve and Zac and Zoe were laughing it up at the castle right now, with the Alchemist. They were probably stuffing themselves with Jack¡¯s missing junk food too.


    Daiki knelt and pulled off the camera that was around his neck, packing it into a small, padded bag he had produced from his suitcase. All the while, he kept his eye on Mico, his whole body exuding suspicion.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to destroy this one,¡± he said.


    Mico continued to say nothing. Daiki hooked the little camera bag onto the suitcase and stood up again, the suitcase handle in his hand.


    ¡°The first thing we should do is come up with a plan.¡± Jack was attempting to make his mind work logically again. ¡°There''s probably a trick to this.¡±


    It was only a test. He loved tests. It was too bad it wasn''t a multiple choice, or they¡¯d already been home free.


    Daiki scuffed impatiently at the black needles and sighed heavily, while Jack tried to think. He cast a searching look around the forest, but every direction was the same. The clearing was natural and tiny. And surrounding it was trees and more trees. No sign of a path or a signpost or a castle. Jack was about to suggest just walking in a random direction when inspiration struck.


    ¡°Mico, how much are you allowed to tell us?¡±


    Mico blinked like an owl and cocked his head. ¡°Mico is allowed to tell you anything.¡± He paused, as though reconsidering, then continued. ¡°Almost anything.¡±


    ¡°OK, wise guy, so tell us where the castle is,¡± Daiki said quickly.


    Around them, the branches began to rustle gently in the wind. Jack glanced up and wondered what time it was. He couldn¡¯t see much blue sky through the dense, black leaves. The clearing was so small that branches from the surrounding trees were almost touching overhead. He decided to dig his watch out of his pack as soon as they finished questioning Mico. At least he could keep an eye on how much time had passed.


    ¡°The castle is in the forest.¡± Mico said it promptly and Jack could almost see a smile on his beak as Daiki shot the little pterosaur a withering glance.


    ¡°We know that. Where in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are.¡±


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± Daiki gritted his teeth as he worked out how Mico had interpreted his question. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean ¡®We are¡¯, I meant where.¡±


    Mico remained as expressionless as ever and didn¡¯t say a word. He plainly intended to volunteer nothing without being asked a question first.


    Daiki closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He spoke slowly, with deliberation. ¡°Where- in the forest- is the castle?¡±


    ¡°In the middle of the forest.¡±


    ¡°And where is the goddamn middle of the forest, Mico?¡±


    Mico blinked. ¡°In the center, the point furthest from the edges.¡±


    For a moment, Jack thought Daiki might crack. He had maintained his cynical calm since Mico re-appeared, only letting his voice get colder and more sarcastic with each useless answer, but surely there was only so much he could take. His eyes had cooled to black ice.


    ¡°Mico,¡± he said, with intense deliberation. ¡°From here,¡± he pointed at the ground. ¡°As the crow flies, in what direction is the castle? Please point to it.¡±


    Mico indicated with his beak to where the trees were thickest. It was in the opposite direction to where he had disappeared earlier.


    ¡°The castle is located in that direction.¡±


    Daiki gave Jack a look which plainly said ¡°No thanks to you,¡± and immediately started off in the direction Mico had indicated, his suitcase bumping along the rutted forest floor.


    ¡°Hang on, Daiki, we''re supposed to examine our surroundings carefully.¡±


    Jack wanted to look more closely at the furry trees for one thing. For another, he wanted to see where Mico had dropped off the chocolate chips. It couldn''t have been that far away from the clearing. There might be clues. Hell, there could be someone sitting there, listening to them right now.


    Clearly, this test wasn¡¯t going to be as simple as asking Mico where to go and then walking in a straight line. Aside from everything else, Jack still had no idea what time it was and no idea how far away the castle might be.


    But Daiki was rushing away and Jack had to hurry to keep up.


    ¡°What we''re supposed to do is find our way to the castle. Before midnight. I have no intention of turning into a pumpkin when the clock strikes twelve.¡± Daiki shot Mico a dark look and ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°There are too many vegetables around here already.¡±


    Daiki¡¯s hair had been retouched at some point in the last week and now sported a dark green tint, barely visible in the gloomy forest light. Jack wondered if the color had been chosen in honor of the little cyborg.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Jack, it''s already past one.¡± Daiki waved his wristwatch in Jack''s direction. At least that was one issue resolved. ¡°Assuming there isn''t a time difference between here and home. We don''t have any idea how far away this castle is. Hell, we don''t even know when it''s going to start getting dark around here. We need to move quickly and find the damn place so we can make the Alchemist send us all home.¡±


    ¡°Home? No, if we pass the test¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve put us all in enough danger,¡± Daiki snapped. ¡°This place isn¡¯t mucking around.¡±


    Daiki paused for a moment, then slowed to a stop. He stared at the ground. Jack suspected he was hiding the emotion on his face, but his voice was full of it.


    ¡°I thought they were dead, Jack. They might still be dead for all we know.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t trust that¡­ that reptile. All I know is that this was a mistake. It¡¯s time to give up and go home.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Jack could see Daiki¡¯s point, he really could. However, he had no intention of going home. He was going to pass this test if it was the last thing he did.


    ¡°Just stop. I know you like to think that you¡¯re the one in charge all the time. I know you like to think you¡¯re a big rebel, and that nothing will ever touch you. Maybe nothing ever will.¡± Daiki finally looked up and met Jack¡¯s gaze. ¡°But it¡¯s sure as hell touched a lot of other people.¡±


    ¡°I never meant for¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you never mean for anything, do you? Well, I¡¯m not Steve and I¡¯m not Zac. They aren¡¯t here. And I¡¯m not going to blindly follow you into worse trouble. We are going to do this my way, or you are going to get left behind. Is that clear?¡±


    Jack really wanted to puke now. It¡¯s one thing to think you might have made a mistake. That you¡¯ve maybe hurt your friends.


    It¡¯s another thing to have that mistake ground into your face by one of your friends.


    The worst thing was, Daiki was right.


    I should never have asked them to come. It had been selfish and stupid and Jack wasn¡¯t even the one paying the price for it. He¡¯d gotten his friends in trouble before and he¡¯d always managed to get them out again. This was different. This was life or death.


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, OK, I guess you''re right.¡±


    Daiki nodded grimly and started marching away again, in roughly the direction Mico had indicated. A few drops of sunlight that made it through the forest canopy dappled his purple wool jersey but left his face dark. ¡°Oh and Jack...¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Try to keep up.¡±

 5: In The Jungle (I)

    They walked for hours through the shifting light and shadows of the forest. Mico jumped from tree to tree above them. The branches were rarely far enough apart for him to genuinely glide. He had closed his wing-flute somehow and traveled in near-silence, obviously at home in this place.


    All around them the trees whispered as if giving away breezy secrets. However, there was no wind to be felt below the canopy. The air was warm and dry and still,  The landscape was the same in every direction. Trees, trees and more trees. All of them towering over Jack and Daiki. Uniformly pale gray, hairy trunks crowned with high branches and clumps of black needles.


    Jack speculated about the nature of the trees as he walked. He decided that they had evolved black leaves to absorb more light. Jack vaguely knew there was a reason that plants on his world didn¡¯t bother with the green part of the light spectrum for photosynthesis, but it hadn¡¯t caught his attention in science class, and so he couldn¡¯t remember it. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t the case here, and Jack kicked himself mentally for not bothering to memorize that class. Who knew biology would turn out to be more important than chemistry in an adventure with an alchemist?


    At any rate, he did know that if something was black, it was absorbing most of the full spectrum of light. Jack tried to think logically about it. So maybe these trees needed more light. Maybe they out-competed every other local tree because black leaves were more efficient?


    Was that the whole story? From the glimpses of the sky they were getting, he thought the quality of sunlight was much the same as Earth, and he had spent a lot of time thinking about Mico and how similar, if not identical, he was to creatures that had once lived on Earth. So why were the trees so bizarrely different? And did it even matter? They were probably on an entirely new planet, so of course the trees were different.


    It did occur to Jack that the trees might not be entirely natural. No wild forest on Earth was made up of only one type of tree. Only monoculture produced that kind of landscape. So maybe this was a timber forest? Or maybe the whole island was artificial? Could the Alchemist be that powerful? Jack realized he was coming up with a lot more questions than answers, but it was all he could do for the moment. Walk, and look at the trees, and wonder.


    After charging through the forest for around an hour and discovering no discernible landmarks, Daiki stopped and pulled a large spray can of paint from his suitcase. He was always an artist first, and that was something Jack admired about him, even now, when Daiki was being kind of a dick. Jack wondered what else his friend had stashed in the heavy suitcase.


    Every few minutes after that, Daiki would spray a spot of orange on a tree, leaving a bright trail of paint-matted tree-fur behind them. His suitcase wheels worked surprisingly well on the roughly uniform forest floor as, beneath the needles, the ground was hard and dry.


    The suitcase rolled through the coating of dry needles with a continuous crunching sound, occasionally thumping as it was pulled over a root or stone. Jack tried to be useful as they walked, in the best way he knew how. He stared at the woods around them and tried to figure out how far they had come, how fast they were traveling and what other kinds of creatures lived in this place. The forest was oddly empty. It felt almost like a high-vaulted temple, a sacred space filled with endless columns. There was no undergrowth, no fallen trunks or branches, no grass or seedlings or saplings, or indeed much of any plant life at all aside from the furry trees.


    Once, Jack glimpsed a pair of eyes shining in the distance, through the shadows between the trunks. Occasionally he would spot small piles of old bones, half buried in the black needles. Jack tried picking one up, but the tiny bone crumbled like sand at his touch, leaving a chalky smear on his fingers. It creeped him out and he hurried wiped the bone dust away. Perhaps there was a strange scavenger living here, one that sucked minerals out of bones. Jack hoped it was a scavenger, anyway.


    The thought of predators living in the forest gave Jack a chill, although he wasn''t sure if it was excitement or fear. So far, all the bones in the piles had been very small, likely belonging to squirrels or birds. In theory, that could mean the predators were equally small, and large animals, like humans, had nothing to worry about.


    Jack chewed it over, but he couldn¡¯t say anything definitely. It wasn¡¯t like he was given any chance to contemplate the bones or anything else for that matter.


    Daiki set a cracking pace, brushing past the furred trees as though he was trotting through an obstacle course. He didn¡¯t slow down for anything as far as Jack could tell, aside from leaving his orange marks. If Jack stopped or slowed at all to examine his surroundings more closely, he had to run to catch up to his friend afterward. If he lost Daiki in this featureless place¡­


    After pausing to examine a collection of tiny, translucent blue mushrooms growing in the cusp of two furry roots and almost losing Daiki in the darkness between the trees, Jack decided something had to change.


    He had to make an attempt to keep his curiosity in check.


    Daiki had a point after all. They had no idea how far Nimble Woods spread and it felt like the day was already edging into late afternoon. Faster was better.


    Besides, Daiki was in charge. Jack had lost any claim he might have once had to be the leader. He was determined to keep his mouth shut. He was going to make it up to Daiki and his other friends.


    His resolution lasted for almost 15 minutes. Right up until they emerged from the trees into a small meadow with a very large tree on a rise in the middle of it.


    Jack stopped in his tracks as the sunlight flooded over him. Daiki didn''t even slow down.


    ¡°Daiki, we need to stop.¡±


    Jack tried to say it with authority but the words came out sounding apologetic. It was such a relief to be under clear blue skies again, even if they weren¡¯t the skies of home. The light through the roof of black leaves just felt wrong and Jack was in no hurry to rush back under it.


    ¡°It''s been hours. We need a break.¡± Jack paused and examined the meadow. ¡°And I want to climb that tree and see where we are.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Daiki hesitated at the treeline, his jaw clenched and stubborn. For a moment, Jack was sure he would keep walking, just to be stubborn but, to his relief, Daiki let go of his suitcase handle. Stubborn or not, his face was glowing tomato red, and his forehead was beaded with sweat.


    Too much time painting, and not enough martial arts, Jack thought.


    But that was spiteful. Jack knew very well his friend was pushing himself hard. Making up for my mistake.


    ¡°Yeah, you do that.¡± Daiki lowered himself to sit on his suitcase. He produced a hand-rolled cigarette of some kind from a pocket. Jack hoped it was only tobacco.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the ashes get onto those dry leaves,¡± Jack warned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot,¡± Daiki said. He brandished a disposable lighter. ¡°Go on, then. Climb the tree. Make sure that midget dinosaur isn''t leading us in the wrong direction.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not a dinosaur, he¡¯s a pterosaur,¡± Jack said immediately. Daiki glared at him, but Jack couldn¡¯t seem to keep his mouth shut. ¡°I looked it up. They¡¯re completely different things.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Mico was roosting in a tree on the edge of the clearing. Possibly at the sound of his voice, he yawned, showing off a cement colored tongue. It was surprisingly similar in shape to a human tongue. He stretched, lifting his tiny claws into the air, and then relaxed and let his wing move, seemingly idly, but humming a familiar tune.


    Jack smiled when he recognized it and began to sing along. ¡°Aweemawey, aweemawey¡­¡±


    He was about to launch into the first verse when he turned to Daiki with a grin and was met by a cold stare.


    Jack shut up. Time to climb a tree.


    The grass of the clearing looked very soft and welcoming after so much walking, but Jack wasn¡¯t about to let Daiki down again. He shrugged out of his pack, gratefully rolling his shoulders as the weight fell away, then crossed the grassy meadow and inspected the tree.


    It was dead, probably killed by a lightning strike. Even completely bare of leaves, it was obviously the same kind of tree as all the others in the strange forest, although it was isolated in the meadow, on the small rise of land. It had the same greyish-pewter fur as the trees in the forest, though its hairs were dull while the other trees had a healthy gloss.


    Patches of the fur had fallen out, revealing a scabby, reddish bark underneath, charred to black in some places.


    The dead tree was enormous. Jack didn¡¯t think his arms would stretch around even a quarter of the trunk, which rose straight up without branches for at least four or five meters.


    Jack eyed the fur on the dead wood in front of him. If it was still firmly attached, he could easily put his weight on it, in order to climb to the first branch and scramble higher from there. He discarded his pack at the foot of the tree. He was about to touch the trunk when a thought occurred to him.


    ¡°Mico?¡± He called out. ¡°Are the trees safe?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mico said.


    Daiki jerked at the word and scrambled away from the edge of the clearing.


    Jack snatched his hand back, thinking wildly of all the times he had brushed past the trees as they traveled. Of course, Mico did seem to enjoy misleading them when it came to information.


    ¡°Mico, I mean¡­ I mean could the trees be dangerous to us?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mico said.


    Daiki swore and turned to face away from the meadow. He planted his feet, his cigarette hanging from his lip, as though he was preparing to fight the whole forest of trees. The whisper of leaves that had followed them since they entered the forest suddenly seemed sinister. Jack noticed there wasn''t a breath of wind in the clearing to explain the whispering noise. Not the slightest twig or bit of fluff stirred on the dead tree.


    ¡°Mico,¡± Daiki said, without taking his eyes off the forest. ¡°How are the trees a danger to us?¡±


    Mico blinked in the slow way that Jack was starting to suspect meant he was about to be particularly infuriating.


    ¡°A tree might fall and crush you. It could attract lightning. It could trip you with its roots. It could...¡±


    Daiki swore and cut him off. ¡°You dipshit, any tree could do that.¡±


    ¡°You asked if the trees could be a danger and Mico answered correctly.¡± Mico stared at Daiki even as he waved his wing around with some force. ¡°You were told to be polite to all those you encounter. You have encountered Mico.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry Mico,¡± Jack interjected before Daiki could say anything else. ¡°We didn''t mean to be rude. You just scared us, that''s all.¡± Jack was suddenly terrified the little cyborg would fly off and leave them stranded in the forest. He was their only guide. How would it look to the Alchemist if they drove him off? As usual, there was no emotion in his mechanical voice, but his words were clear enough. Could he understand emotion? Jack tried to make his own voice as calm and placating as possible.


    ¡°What I really wanted to know is, will this fur stuff hurt me if I touch it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mico said. ¡°The wisken will not hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Whiskers?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®fur stuff¡¯ is called wis-ken.¡± Mico said the last word slowly.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jack said.  ¡°Thank you, Mico.¡±


    Jack put out a hesitant hand and gently stroked the wisken on the dead tree. He had brushed past it in the forest but had not had the chance to stop and really touch it. It had a smooth, velvety feel, like cat fur.


    Jack gathered a couple of handfuls of the fur above his head and tugged gently. It seemed to be firmly attached. He put more and more weight on it until he was swinging from the trunk. It held.


    For maybe the first time in his life, he was grateful that he had never had the growth spurt his mother had promised him all through puberty.


    Jack scrunched up his body so that the rubber soles of his sneakers were on the wisken. It was too smooth to offer much of a grip for them, but it was better than nothing.


    The trunk was much too large to shimmy up. Jack climbed it like he would a rock wall, digging in his toes and balancing with one hand, while searching for a higher handful, then slowly pushing his body weight up one foot at a time. It was exhausting, and he was already tired, but he wasn¡¯t about to quit when Daiki was watching.


    Eventually, he made it to the first branch. Awkwardly, constantly feeling like he was about to slip off, Jack pulled himself up and over the lowest tree branch. He paused, sprawled out on the branch for a few minutes to catch his breath. It wasn¡¯t bad sitting there, stroking the soft fur idly, until an impatient sigh drifted up from below.


    The first branch was too far under any of the others to be used as an easy stepping stone. Jack had to keep climbing the trunk, edging around it and away from that safety net, in order to get to the next closest one.


    Jack was about a meter from his goal when it happened.


    His foot slipped.

 5: In The Jungle (II)

    The other foot held for a second and then both flew out into open space.


    Jack clutched the wisken in his hands, instinctively throwing his body-weight into the tree. The impact jolted his aching arms.


    He dangled from the trunk, his hands straining to hold his whole weight. His arms trembled, and his fingers were threatening to give up altogether. Jack knew he only had a few seconds before he fell.


    He scrabbled at the fur with his feet, but it seemed impossibly slippery now. They just couldn''t get a grip. His mind was racing, trying to think of what to do.


    Falling from about seven or eight meters up- that might only mean a broken leg if he fell the right way. Not a big deal if you have access to hospitals and modern medicine. Jack had no idea if that was the case.


    Even in his own world, a broken leg in the middle of a forest was not a good idea. He was going to fail the test.


    That was if he managed to fall right. There was always the chance he would land wrong and hurt something more important than his leg.


    Jack heard Daiki gasp and curse below him.


    So he does still care, Jack thought. Probably not enough to carry me, though.


    Closing his eyes, Jack tried one more time to haul his body up enough to place his soles firmly on the tree trunk.


    No matter what he did, his feet could not seem to find a good grip on the sleek fur. Every time he tried putting any weight on them they held for a heartbeat, then slipped again, jarring his arms over and over.


    In his adrenaline-filled state, the omnipresent rustle of the forest seemed to grow louder, filling his senses, until it felt like all the trees were anticipating his fall. Jack began to panic.


    With a swish and clatter Mico appeared, startling Jack so much he almost lost his tenuous hold on the fur. Mico was hanging upside down like a bat, gripping the gray trunk close to Jack¡¯s head. Lambent eyes filled his view. They reflected the sunlight like twin purple moons.


    ¡°Do you require assistance, Jack?¡±


    Of course, the pterosaur had no concern at all in his voice. His eyes didn''t blink.


    Jack''s hands were really shaking now. He could barely feel them.


    He deeply regretted digging all those pointless holes on the beach. Was that really only a few hours ago?


    Mico was waiting for an answer.


    ¡°If you assist me, will I fail the test?¡±


    ¡°Fuck the test,¡± Daiki yelled from beneath him. ¡°Don''t be a moron, Jack!¡±


    ¡°No. You will need assistance to pass the test.¡±


    ¡°Then, yes,¡± Jack said, gasping out the words. ¡°Please help me, Mico.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Jack.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t know what the tiny creature, smaller than a blackbird, could possibly do to save him from a fall, but he was willing to try anything.


    He started thinking about falling, trying to plan how he would bend his knees and roll onto his side in order to save his legs. He had been taught how to fall in his jiu-jitsu classes. Not from a height like this, of course, but it would still help.


    He wondered if it was better to try and thrust himself away from the tree to the softer ground of the meadow.


    No matter what he did, it was going to hurt. The only question was, how much?


    His shaking, sweating hands wouldn''t hold him much longer.


    A solid thock, like the sound a hammer or an axe makes on impact, reached his ears, and for a wild moment, Jack feared Mico was cutting the tree down.


    ¡°Lift your left foot by 3.5 centimeters,¡± Mico said, his voice distorted.


    Without hesitating, Jack gripped as hard as he could and pulled up, straining his whole body with the last of his strength to move that tiny distance. His foot slid into place with a hollow thunk.


    Mico had cut a step into the trunk of the tree.


    A wave of relief crashed over Jack. He wasn¡¯t going to fall. His spine would remain unshattered.


    The forest, which had sounded so sinister before, when he was in trouble, was now cheering in the background.


    Jack put all his weight on his left foot and let his arms rest in place while Mico cut more steps leading up to the nearest branch. Jack¡¯s whole body was now trembling, but mostly with relief.


    The little pterosaur used his mechanical wing to make the steps, stiffening his claws into a scoop and hacking into the trunk with it, scraping out chunks of bark and wood. His voice had been distorted because, in a way, he had been speaking with his mouth full, vibrating his wing while it was still buried in the wood in order to work the flute.


    Climbing was a whole lot easier with footholds, but it was still a relief to finally sit down, straddling the sturdy branch.  His hands were trembling with muscle fatigue. Jack waved at Daiki, who ran his fingers through his hair with what looked like relief. From 3 stories up Jack couldn¡¯t be sure, but his friend seemed to mutter something, which was no doubt cold and cutting. Too bad Jack couldn¡¯t hear it. Or see the finger flipped in his general direction.


    ¡°How do you power that wing, Mico?¡± Jack asked as he stretched out each of his own limbs.


    The green metal prosthetic was a marvelous feat of engineering and seemed to be somehow organically integrated into the tiny body, but Jack suspected it had to have a battery or some other power source. Surely Mico¡¯s own muscles were not powerful enough to do something like chopping into the wood like it was butter.


    ¡°With a micro-generator,¡± Mico said, as he paused in his hole-cutting quest. He was halfway to the next branch. ¡°Distilling energy from sunlight.¡±


    "Oh, like a solar panel?¡± Jack leaned back for a moment and let all his limbs relax, swinging loose against the trunk. He should have relaxed like this before dashing up the tree like an idiot, trying to appease Daiki. Unfortunately, he wasn''t high enough to see anything yet, or he could just go back down again right away. This tree was gigantic, but the trees of the forest were enormous too, and Jack was barely a third of the way up.


    Still breathing deeply, he caught a hint of smoke. Only tobacco, thankfully. Jack wasn¡¯t sure he could cope with a stoned Daiki right now. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t start a forest fire.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Currently the solar harvesting technology of your world is not yet this advanced. My generator may also function by breaking down organic matter.¡±


    Mico paused and extended his wing out to its fullest extent, then rippled it, so Jack could see the green metal of the pterosaur¡¯s arm and leg shimmer with the greasy rainbow sheen of an oil slick. The silver membrane shone like sunlit water. It was a thing of beauty.


    Jack supposed the generator had to be in Mico¡¯s shoulder. It was the only part of the fragile-looking structure that might have space for it. Still, it had to be built on a microscopic scale. He tried to lean closer and almost fell off the branch.


    ¡°Could you show me later, please Mico?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jack. I would be pleased to show you.¡±


    Mico continued gouging holes until he reached the next branch. There he stopped, probably judging that it would be easy for Jack to clamber from limb to limb after that point. Jack decided it seemed easy enough.


    As long as he didn¡¯t look down.


    Jack put his fingers into the hole closest to him and was surprised to find the trunk was soft and spongy inside the rock-hard outer layer. He wondered if this tree was rotted on the inside and hoped it wasn''t going to collapse any time soon. When he drew his fingers out they were coated in rusty red powder, with an eerie resemblance to dried blood. It gave him the creeps and he quickly wiped it off onto the wisken.


    Even though every muscle cried out against it, eventually Jack got up and resumed his climb. He went slowly, not trusting his still shaky hands.


    He was pleased when Mico followed him, at first clutching at the furry trunk and then bounding lightly from branch to branch like a squirrel.


    Jack didn''t dare go all the way to the top. The branches were getting too thin. He was almost thirty meters off the ground when he stopped, and that was plenty. High enough to be above the majority of other tree tops. High enough to see.


    There was a different quality of air up there. The sky was a deep, pure blue, and the branch beneath him was warm with the summer sun. Jack¡¯s spirits lifted. The alien world spread out before him.


    The black and gray forest swelled into a hill ahead and to the left of where they had been walking, and to the right was a cliff with the ocean beyond it. Jack judged they had been walking roughly parallel to it. Tiny, slender bird shapes drifted about the cusp of the blue-green water and the blue-white sky.


    A broken silver line ran down the dark, forested hill ahead and curved right, a river half-hidden by trees. Jack couldn''t trace the line right to the ocean, but he was sure there was a waterfall out there somewhere.


    ¡°Can you see it, Jack? Can you see the castle?¡± The voice drifted up faintly from below.


    Jack pretended he couldn''t hear Daiki. He couldn¡¯t deal with his friend right this moment. Daiki tried yelling a few more times from the foot of the tree, then stomped off to the edge of the forest as though he was going to leave. He stopped just within sight.


    Jack didn''t want to think. He didn¡¯t want to move or yell reports down to Daiki. He wanted to sit, idly stroking the soft, thick wisken and gazing out into the blue.


    Unfortunately, he couldn''t stay perched up there forever. Or even for very long. Jack didn''t need access to the whole sky to see that the sun, though still warm and bright enough for the moment, was on its slow way down to the horizon.


    Jack tightened his grip on the branch and carefully rotated his head, trying to keep his weight steady on the unstable perch. He gazed behind himself. There was more ocean, a long way back, well beyond the clearing where he and Daiki had entered the woods.


    Jack swept his eyes over the landscape, trying to pick out a castle, or even a solitary tower or turret, on the ruffled line of the horizon, among the dark heads of trees.


    There was nothing. He could see a large clearing along the river, with a dark spot that might be a small building (and might just be a big rock) but that was the sole possible sign of a human- of an intelligent- presence. Otherwise, it was all just trees and sky and sea.


    Jack noted the way the land curved away from the ocean at the edge of his forward sight and wondered if they were on an island, or maybe a large spit of land. With the hill completely blocking his view to the east and to the south, there was no way to tell.


    Reconnaissance done, Jack had no more excuses and hauled himself off the branch. It felt even more difficult scrambling down than it had climbing up since his arms were starting to become stiff and sore. His aching fingers barely kept him from slipping off the sleek branches while he groped with his feet for the next one.


    Mico went ahead and carved steps down to the ground from where Jack had slipped.


    Finally, Jack stood on the grass. Chunks of furry wood were littered all around the tree. Mico stepped from the trunk onto Jack¡¯s shoulder and rubbed his head briefly against his neck. A surge of affection filled Jack and he scratched the little pterosaur''s head with a fingertip.


    ¡°Well aren''t you two cozy. Maybe you should just move on in together¡­ start a sweet little dino-man family.¡±


    Jack dropped his hand from the creature¡¯s head as if he had burned it. He smiled weakly.


    "Hopefully, the young¡¯uns would have his eyes.¡±


    Daiki didn¡¯t crack a smile. Jack shrugged apologetically; although at this point he didn''t even know why he was being apologetic.


    Apart from the whole putting-all-his-friends-in-mortal-danger thing.


    He noticed that Daiki had slung his biggest camera around his neck again and hoped he hadn¡¯t been taking pictures.


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, you know. You could have broken your leg. I would have been stuck carrying you.¡± Daiki paused. ¡°Or you might have killed yourself.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± That much concern could make anyone angry, Jack thought. Let it go. ¡°You know me, I¡¯d probably just bounce.¡±


    Daiki ignored him. ¡°And then you would have left me out here with no one- except for that greasy brass monkey and some whacko Alchemist who is probably after your virgin''s blood or something.¡±


    ¡°Daiki, come on, we¡¯re going to be OK...¡±


    Daiki¡¯s face was strained and sweaty as if he had been the one climbing, instead of the one sitting safely in the grass.


    Strained or not, his eyes were hard. Jack had seen his friend like this before, the few times he had visited him at home. This was how Daiki was with his mother. He froze his dignity under a chilly layer of bitterness and thus kept it intact.  Control was maintained above everything else.


    And if he was pushed hard enough, he walked away without looking back.


    The idea of being alone in this strange forest made Jack feel ill.


    ¡°So, did you see anything while you were shimmying up that overgrown cat scratching post? Or was it just a wonderful vacation from reality?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, I saw a bit,¡± Jack said. He made his voice as placating as possible. ¡°I think we might be on an island. There was ocean back beyond where we came out of the portal and there''s ocean over there too.¡± Jack gestured to the west. ¡°The land curved in the distance too so I reckon it''s either an island or a spit of land.¡±


    ¡°What a clever deduction,¡± Daiki said. ¡°And just too bad we¡¯ve got no way to confirm it.¡±


    He paused significantly, before barking, ¡°Mico, are we on an island?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are on Cynos Island.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ve been walking toward the castle so far?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Gee, that was difficult.¡±


    Ordinarily, Jack would have punched Daiki for the tone in his voice a long time ago. Even with all things considered he was having trouble restraining himself.


    Instead, he told Daiki about the river and the little black spot that might be a building.


    ¡°I couldn''t see a castle, but we''re going roughly south right now and to the east and south there was a rise in the land so I couldn¡¯t see much. Hopefully it won¡¯t be too bad to walk up, but still may be big enough to hide a castle on the other side.¡±


    Jack didn''t mention that he thought it was pretty odd not to build the castle on the top of the hill, which seemed to be the highest point around. Maybe it wasn''t meant to be a defensive castle. Or maybe it had been built near a lake or something.


    ¡°I kind of felt like I was in that scene in The Hobbit.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You know, that bit in The Hobbit where Bilbo climbs a tree and doesn''t realize he''s looking at a hillside and he thinks the forest goes on forever...¡±


    ¡°So, basically you''re saying you learned nothing important,¡± Daiki said, dismissing everything Jack had done in the last two hours. ¡°That''s just great, Jack. Good job.¡±


    Weary as he was, Jack¡¯s temper flared up. Just as quickly it died as he thought about how he had got them all into this situation.


    Daiki was in charge now. Jack had to get used to it.


    He settled for growling under his breath as he scooped up his pack and struggled back into it. Daiki was already at the tree line.


    Jack followed reluctantly, feasting his eyes on the beautiful green grass and blue, cloudless sky he was about to leave behind. On an impulse, he snatched up a handful of grass and pushed it into a pocket.


    They plunged into the gray forest once again.

 6: Quick Swipe (I)

    Jack had given his friends specific advice on what they should wear to this adventure. Always one to favor his own particular style over comfort, however, Daiki was trudging through the forest in vintage Doc Martens. After all the excitement at the tree, their rush through the forest slowed to a crawl, partly because they were both exhausted. Partly, Jack suspected, because Daiki¡¯s feet were killing him.


    He¡¯d spotted the dark red shoes in a thrift store, years ago, while Jack had been browsing for old comics. Daiki had shrugged off the fact that they were a size too small and snatched them up like they were worth a thousand dollars. Jack wondered if his friend regretted the purchase now that he was starting to limp. Daiki was not an athletic person. Well, none of them were really, except Jack with his martial arts and Steve taking a general interest in sport, but Daiki was probably the biggest couch potato. He¡¯d joined Jack and the others occasionally on camping trips, but he always loudly begrudged the time, considering it essentially wasted. Daiki had a vocal preference for obscure concerts or pottering around the darkroom of their high school, over trudging through forests.


    Jack was wearing his old, perfectly worn-in hiking boots and they covered the gentle terrain without troubling him, even as they headed into late afternoon. The ground was beginning to slope up very slightly, although the trees clustered even more densely around them. Most of the time Mico was lost in the thick gloom above them. The pale trunks seemed to glimmer in the strange, dark forest light.


    The air didn''t smell right. Jack noticed it more distinctly after walking through the meadow and climbing into the clear sky. This wilderness had none of the rich, mossy scents he associated with walking through the woods. No smell of flowers, or pine sap, or even of rot and loam.


    The air was tinged with something sweet.


    He picked up a few needles from the ground and rubbed them between his fingers. They smelled faintly of burnt sugar. He pulled a few strands of grass from the meadow out of his pocket and sniffed at that. It was exactly like ordinary grass, an anomaly that hadn¡¯t occurred to him when he was standing in it. The green stained his fingers. It smelled of home.


    So this whole world wasn¡¯t covered with bizarre, fuzzy black and grey trees. There were green things as well.


    The grass had only come to his ankles, he remembered and was even shorter in some places. The chunks of furry wood Mico chopped out had been visible in it, not obscured by long blades. Something had been keeping the grass down. Maybe rabbits, or deer? Maybe something else.


    So why hadn''t they seen any rabbits or birds yet? Or even any insects? The seagulls out by the cliff were the only living things he''d spotted so far, aside from a few flashes of gleaming eyes in the darkness. There was no other sign of life. The woods were ominously quiet. Only the rustle of the strange trees, untouched by any wind, consistently filled his ears.


    Studying them, Jack noticed that a few of the trunks here sported bulges near the ground. The pewter fur, so smooth elsewhere, was ruffled over those lumps, some the size of grapefruits, and others more like melons.


    He desperately wanted to investigate one of the lumps, but he didn¡¯t think Daiki would wait for him if he stopped, even for a few minutes.


    So they trudged on and on, through the growing darkness. Splashes of orange paint were the only bright things in sight. They were accompanied by a near silent Mico and the chuckle of black leaves.


    Jack eventually fell into a kind of trance, as he passed the same gray pillars over and over again. He didn''t notice when Daiki stopped.


    Jack rammed into his friend, sending them both stumbling over the needle-slick ground.


    ¡°Watch it, arsehole!¡± Daiki rubbed the elbow he had jarred against a tree and Jack flexed his twisted ankle.


    ¡°Why''d you stop like that?¡±


    ¡°I heard something.¡±


    They both stood and listened.


    ¡°The trees are quiet,¡± Jack observed in a whisper.


    ¡°Yeah, the wind must have died down.¡±


    Jack kept his suspicions to himself. There hadn¡¯t been a breath of wind through those trees all day.


    They both held their breath, trying to hear something. Anything. Daiki spun in a slow circle.


    ¡°Shit. I can''t see my marks...¡±


    Jack peered through the gloomy undergrowth, searching for the orange spots.


    ¡°There!¡± Daiki pointed at a small orange smudge in the distance. ¡°I must have... we must have got turned around.¡± He took another long look at the trees surrounding them, which were the same as all the other trees they''d been passing for hours and hours.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Finally, Daiki shrugged and started walking to the right, trying to correct their orientation. ¡°I guess it was nothing...¡±


    A hissing bolt of golden fur streaked past Daiki''s face. The two friends both jerked back instinctively as the animal lunged from the branches above them. It hit the ground a few feet in front of Daiki.


    Without pausing it spun and cleared his shoulder in a single bound. The momentum of the leap brought it close to crashing into Jack, but it skidded to a stop with startling grace. A long-bodied, muscular cat, it was about the size of a Labrador, with slender, high tipped ears like outstretched wings and black rimmed, grey eyes. A kitten dangled from its jaws.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Daiki staggered back, clutching his face. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with this place?¡±


    ¡°So beautiful,¡± Jack breathed, in the instant before the cat vanished into the forest. For a moment, he stared after it, trying to see it for as long as possible. But the slim golden shape disappeared almost instantly. He brought his attention back to Daiki.


    ¡°Oh shit.¡± Jack unslung his pack in a hurry. Blood was streaming between Daiki''s fingers. His big, fancy camera was covered in it. Another one bites the dust, Jack thought but knew better than to say it aloud.


    He found the first aid kit, a bright red and white case stuffed with bandages and pills. It took a moment to coax Daiki''s fingers away from his face, but once he did, Jack relaxed.


    It was bloody, but otherwise not nearly as bad as he feared. Three shallow cuts on the cheek, just under Daiki''s left eye, one of them extending almost to his ear. They were bleeding freely, but cleanly. The cat had been warning them off, taking a quick swipe on its way to freedom.


    Lucky it hadn''t swiped any higher.


    Jack carefully cleaned out the cuts, explaining what he was doing out loud to Daiki, trying to remember the first aid course he had completed last year. Clean the wound, then apply antibacterial ointment, then bandage.


    Daiki didn¡¯t make it any easier by pulling his cigarettes and lighter from his pocket. He stuffed the paint spray into the side pocket of his suitcase and lit up, then puffed away impatiently as Jack fiddled with the gauze and tape.


    Jack didn''t think the shallow wounds needed stitches and, more importantly, he didn''t think Daiki would stand still if he whipped out a needle. So, he did the best he could. The bandages grew one small dot of blood, but that was all. The bleeding stopped almost immediately.


    Daiki remained rigid, swearing under his breath with his eyes closed at the worst bits. Jack noticed bite marks on his friend¡¯s lip after he was done, but at least everything was OK. They were going to be OK. Jack repeated it to himself as a mantra.


    It even lifted his spirits a little, until Daiki opened his eyes and gazed down. Jack half expected the bandages to fly off as Daiki took a rib-cracking breath at the sight of his camera.


    It was covered in blood, now caking as it dried, although the purple jersey underneath had escaped with only a few stains.


    With wide bloody streaks still on his face and down his neck, Daiki looked as though he had survived a battle. Unfortunately, it didn''t seem like his camera was going to make it.


    Jack held himself tense, braced for the loud accusations and nasty words. Daiki opened his mouth- and the silence was broken by a faint chirrup.


    Daiki''s eyes flashed, his face pale above the blood, then he whirled and charged off in the direction of the noise, his suitcase twisting his arm around as it bumped after him.


    ¡°You fucker, that camera was mother-fucking expensive!¡±


    ¡°Crap¡­¡± Jack snatched up first aid supplies and shoved them back into his bag, zipping it up on the go as he ran after his friend. ¡°Daiki, don''t be an idiot! That cat was dangerous. It¡¯ll kick your arse.¡±


    As he ran, Jack frantically cast his gaze around for Mico, hoping the little pterosaur would back him up (not that Daiki was likely to listen). There was no swish in the trees or melodic whistle of the voice-flute.


    No Mico at all.


    It hit Jack for the first time that they were alone. Mico was nowhere to be seen and Jack had no idea when he had last seen the pterosaur. A bolt of fear crashed into him.


    ¡°Daiki¡­ I mean it¡­ man¡­ come on¡­ we''ll get lost! This isn''t¡­ even¡­ the right¡­ direction.¡±


    Jack slammed into his friend - again - as Daiki stopped running without warning. This time Jack barely moved the taller boy, who had planted himself firmly on the forest floor.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Daiki was looking carefully around. He was breathing hard, but obviously trying to control it.


    ¡°Are you fucking¡­  kidding me?¡± Jack couldn¡¯t hear anything over the sound of his own heartbeat.


    ¡°Seriously, I heard something moving.¡± Daiki¡¯s eyes were brighter than they had been in hours. Unfortunately it was with the light of vengeance. ¡°Something small. Shut up for a minute.¡±


    Jack tried to keep quiet, although he was pulling in huge gulps of air, trying to recover from the sprint, and the fear.


    He thought wistfully of his bedroom at home. A few months ago, he would have been home from school by now, with his homework done if he¡¯d bothered with it. He could be watching scientists solve crimes on TV, or sticking digital swords through digital dragons on his PC, or heading downstairs to eat lamb chops and apple crumble with his mother.


    But no. He just had to go on a big adventure.


    ¡°There, hear it?¡± Daiki stubbed out the cigarette he had somehow kept on his mad dash, and moved a few steps away to kneel beneath a tree. He was peering into what appeared to be a hole in the ground but, Jack realized on closer inspection, was actually a hollow in the base of the tree. It was lined with a thicker than usual layer of wisken.


    Jack pulled out his flashlight, shining it into the dark space.


    A pair of eyes flashed back.

 6: Quick Swipe (II)

    It was another kitten, even smaller than the one they had seen in the big cat¡¯s mouth. It was about the length of Jack''s hand, with huge, black, long-tipped ears and bright gray eyes that shone silver when glowering directly at the light.


    It hissed at them, making a sound very similar to what a housecat would, and scrunched itself deeper into the hollow.


    ¡°Seriously, man, we need to get out of here,¡± Jack said. The kitten was absolutely adorable and under different circumstances, Jack would have been delighted to see it, but they had just experienced the power of its mother. She was small compared to, say, a lion, but more than large enough to maim or kill two weedy teenagers. ¡°That mother cat could be back any minute.¡±


    Daiki hesitated, then pulled off his camera strap, putting the camera gently to one side, and wriggled out of his blood-stained jersey, exposing the gray tee-shirt underneath. It had the words ¡°Con Artist¡± emblazoned on it in white letters, along with a painter¡¯s palette.


    ¡°We can''t leave her here,¡± Daiki said. ¡°What if her mother doesn''t come back?¡±


    ¡°Of course she''ll come back. Cats are good about that kind of thing...¡± Jack trailed off. Daiki wasn''t listening at all. He was wrapping the purple wool around his hands, preparing to grab the kitten.


    ¡°Daiki, we''ve got to think about the others, I mean... we shouldn''t be wasting time on this....¡±


    ¡°Jack, you want to go? Fine. Piss off. I¡¯m doing this.¡±


    Daiki sneered, and fresh blood spotted his bandages as they pulled against the cuts. As Jack winced in reluctant sympathy, a fierce wind gusted through the treetops, rattling them together, more loudly than ever. The friends each surveyed the canopy uneasily before returning to the topic at hand.


    ¡°We can''t leave it here, even if its mother does come back,¡± Daiki said. ¡°It''ll never survive in the wild.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Oh.¡±


    Jack spotted the issue. The large kitten only had three good limbs. One back leg ended in a twisted stump instead of a paw. Daiki was right. Even if its mother did come back, it would struggle to survive. Inspecting it more closely, Jack realized it was already skinny. No doubt the healthier sibling was hogging all the food.


    Jack shook his head.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. I don''t want to be a dick but... it''s not going to want to come with us. How are you going to keep it quiet and calm? How are you going to feed it?¡±


    Daiki reached into the hollow, speaking in a low, soothing voice and holding his hands wide with the jersey stretched between them. The kitten crouched as far back into the hole as it could get, its ears flat on its head. Its eyes followed the approach of the purple garment like it would a snake. It growled weakly.


    ¡°It''s OK, kitty. Koneko, koneko, you''re going to be just fine.¡± Daiki¡¯s hand darted in and caught the kitten by the scruff. It let out one last hiss and fell silent. ¡°There''s a good cat, there''s a good...¡± He checked under the tail. ¡°¡­girl.¡±


    He drew her out of the hollow, dangling her from his hand as she would normally dangle from her mother¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Wow, she''s not making much of a fuss, is she?¡±


    Jack put down his flashlight and reached out to stroke the kitten between her ears with two fingers.


    ¡°No.¡± Daiki cupped his hand under her to take some weight off her scruff. ¡°If you hold them by the back of the neck like this they just go limp.¡±


    ¡°Your mum has a bunch of cats, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°A few.¡±


    Daiki arranged his legs so that he was more comfortable and settled the kitten on his lap, keeping a grip on her neck.


    ¡°You don¡¯t happen to have a clothes peg or something like that do you?¡±


    ¡°Um, wait a minute.¡± Jack unzipped his bag and shifted items aside until he found his old pencil case. He¡¯d brought it on a whim, not sure how easy it would be to get ballpoint pens in the other world. Certainly, The Alchemist didn¡¯t seem to use them.


    Jack pulled out a large paper binding clip and stuck his finger into it to test how strong it was. It didn¡¯t pinch too hard, so he handed it to Daiki. ¡°How about that? Are you sure it won¡¯t hurt her?¡±


    Daiki clipped the skin on the back of her neck and held up his hands. She lay quietly, with only her suspicious eyes and strained little face indicating that she was still conscious.


    ¡°Yeah, it won¡¯t hurt her. I¡¯ve seen them do this at the vet. Works almost as well as a shot to calm them down, apparently.¡±


    It was difficult to estimate her age, since she was so much bigger than a house kitten would be. Jack didn''t think she could be more than a few weeks old though. Probably too young to be away from her mother.


    ¡°What will you feed her?¡±


    Daiki was gently examining her shrunken, twisted foot in the beam of the flashlight. It was hard to tell whether she had been injured, or simply born that way. It didn¡¯t look infected or anything at least. Just damaged.


    ¡°Well, we''ll just have to figure that out once we get to the castle, won''t we?¡± Daiki poked lightly at the kitten''s round belly. She glared at him.


    ¡°She''s not starving, even though she''s thin. She should be fine for a few hours at any rate.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    Daiki nodded. His whole demeanor had changed. The ice had melted away.


    ¡°Here, you can hold her for a sec. Just don¡¯t remove the clip.¡± He handed her gently over, waiting for Jack to take her weight before letting go.


    Jack felt his objections melt away as she glared up at him with her luminous eyes. She was very pretty. Almost as lovely as her mother, who might be heading their way right this second.


    Trying to distract himself from that thought, Jack lifted the kitten and examined her carefully, supporting her rear end in a cupped hand. She was a lovely caramel color with a body similar in shape to a lynx, although she didn''t have the lynx''s spots and stripes. Her tail was short, about half the length a normal house kitten¡¯s would be. She was a perfectly normal looking mammal for all that. Not a dinosaur. Not a witch''s familiar, or an Alchemist¡¯s messenger. Unless...


    ¡°Greetings, little cat,¡± Jack said solemnly. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    She blinked at him, but that was her only reaction.


    Just an ordinary animal. It looked remarkably like the African caracals Jack had seen on Youtube.


    Jack couldn¡¯t understand it. The ecosystem of the strange world didn¡¯t make sense.


    What kind of ecology involves rabbits and wildcats, but no insects or birds or invertebrates? Are they imports from earth? And if so, what the hell is with these trees?


    The leaves were only producing a quiet noise now but they made Jack very uneasy. He couldn¡¯t shake the sensation that they were being watched.


    And why not? This was a test, after all.


    ¡°We just have to think of a way for me to carry her.¡± Daiki interrupted Jack¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I don''t have any pockets big enough and she can''t go in my suitcase...¡±


    Jack chewed on his lip as he thought, turning to survey what they had to hand. It was getting more difficult by the minute to see everything in the gloom under the trees¡­ which was the least of their problems. That mother cat would be back any second.


    ¡°OK, give me your jersey.¡± Jack handed the kitten back to Daiki in exchange for the purple jumper.


    Quickly retrieving the first aid kit from his pack, Jack knotted a bandage around the bottom of the jersey, creating a makeshift pouch, still open at the neck. He wrapped the sleeves around Daiki''s shoulder and hip like the straps of a carrier bag and tied them behind his friend¡¯s back.


    ¡°You didn''t happen to bring anything she¡¯d like to eat, did you? I dunno, tuna or something like that.¡±


    Daiki had the kitten purring in fits and starts as he stroked the top of her head but she was still very tense and suspicious.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Jack hesitated. ¡°I have some fish sauce but¡­ after that, can we go, please? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but we¡¯ve lost Mico, and the mother could be back any second.¡±


    ¡°Good riddance,¡± Daiki said, then his face softened.  ¡°Sure, Squirt. Just get out the sauce and we¡¯ll go.¡±


    Jack dug into his pack and pulled out the plastic bag containing all his food supplies. He had lifted a few different bottles of sauce from the pantry before leaving home, promising himself he would pay his mother back tenfold.


    ¡°Will this do?¡±


    Jack unscrewed the top from the fish sauce bottle and handed it to Daiki. The kitten was purring steadily now, although she still made a plaintive, bleating cry every few minutes.


    Daiki smeared some of the smelly sauce over his finger and stuck it in her face, then removed the clip. She shuddered and tensed up before the scent hit her. The little kitten sniffed at the sauce for a second, then began to lick, purring loudly in approval. Jack was impressed by Daiki¡¯s daring. He would have been worried about losing a finger.


    ¡°You could put some on her paws and whiskers. Isn''t that what you''re supposed to do with cats in a new home? Keeps them too busy licking to run away.¡±


    Daiki considered Jack as though he was an idiot.


    ¡°She''d get it all over my jersey. It''s vintage.¡±


    He waited until she had finished licking and then put the clip back on. The tiny thing went limp.


    Daiki slipped her into the makeshift pouch through the neck hole, making sure she was all the way in and secure before releasing his hand. Then he waited for a few minutes. A small warning growl came from the vicinity of his chest, and then she was quiet.


    ¡°There. She thinks she''s still in the hollow where her mother left her. She''ll stay put.¡±


    ¡°We really need to go.¡±


    Daiki put on his small, condescending smile. ¡°Scared of a little cat, huh?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ yeah. Why the bloody hell aren¡¯t you scared?¡±


    Daiki rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh come on, she¡¯s barely the size of a dog. She¡¯s not really dangerous.¡±


    ¡°She got you pretty good back there.¡±


    ¡°What, this little cut? It¡¯s nothing. Besides, she took me by surprise.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just go.¡±


    Jack inspected their surroundings carefully, but the forest was quiet and still. Not that that meant anything. That cat could out-sneak a sniper. No sign of Mico, either. All he could hear was the faintest rustle of leaves.


    Jack was really starting to dislike this forest. He packed up the first aid kit properly this time, but as fast as possible, then clipped the flashlight to the side of his pack. Pretty soon, they were going to need it just to see while under the trees.


    Meanwhile, Daiki had packed up his camera, dried blood and all, and hooked the bag onto his suitcase. He pulled out his spray can and made a big orange X over the cat¡¯s den. He rested a protective hand on the purple wool covering the kitten for a moment, before moving carefully to grab the suitcase handle.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been ready for the last half hour,¡± Jack said between gritted teeth.


    ¡°OK. Let''s¡­¡±


    A rough noise burst through the air, loud and threatening from the trees to their right.


    It sounded like a big man coughing, but coming from low to the ground. Jack and Daiki traded anxious glances and, without another word, took off in the opposite direction to the noise.


    ¡°Was that her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never¡­ heard a cat¡­ make that kind of sound.¡±


    Daiki was puffing already. Jack reined himself in so he wouldn¡¯t get too far ahead of his friend. Daiki was still holding the paint spray can in one hand and his suitcase handle in the other.


    As they got further from the hollow, Jack started to hope that whatever it was would leave them alone. Daiki had begun to stumble and was gasping as he trotted along. Jack didn¡¯t feel so much like the energizer bunny himself.


    ¡°Do you think we lost it?¡± Daiki tried to turn and look behind them without stopping. He managed a couple of steps, then tripped over a tree root. Catching himself on one knee, he jostled the makeshift pouch.


    By then the kitten had had enough. Clip or no clip, she wailed loudly in a rasping voice, announcing her presence to the forest.


    Jack held his breath, hoping against hope... but his heart sank when an answering wail and a series of hissing coughs sounded from behind them.


    ¡°Shit, oh shit,¡± Jack said. ¡°Don¡¯t run, she¡¯ll chase us now. Hamstring us.¡±


    He had seen plenty of videos online with big cats running down prey. He shrugged out of his backpack and held it up in front of himself like a shield. His mind was racing.


    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t be a wuss. Just find a stick or something to fend her off.¡±


    Daiki cast around himself as they listened to the sounds of the mother cat crunching towards them through the dead leaves.


    ¡°OK, so there are no sticks.¡±


    ¡°Daiki, you have to give her the kitten. Just¡­ just throw it at her or something.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Daiki clenched his fists. ¡°She¡¯ll die if I leave her here. She needs me.¡±


    The crunching slowed as the cat slunk into sight. She was low to the ground, her eyes fixed on them as she moved. She was stalking them.


    Jack hoisted his pack a little higher while Daiki moved behind his suitcase. The little kitten was still letting off the occasional quiet wail and the mother¡¯s tail lashed as she crept closer. She stopped just a few meters away from them.


    Hissing, her grey eyes on fire with malice, she bared teeth which were much too long and sharp for Jack¡¯s comfort.


    ¡°See? She¡¯s just as scared of us as we are of¡­¡± Daiki turned as he spoke to Jack, which was the only thing that saved him.


    The mother cat launched herself at him, quicker than thought.


    She threw herself higher and faster than Jack would have believed, her teeth aimed for Daiki¡¯s throat. Every inch of her was prepared to rip his life away, to defend her kitten.


    She failed as he turned, and bit into his shoulder instead.


    Daiki screamed and jerked instinctively, falling to his knees as she clung on, her fangs firmly planted in the muscle of his shoulder.


    Daiki spun his torso around, trying to fling her off. His thrashing kept her from planting her paws, which prevented her from scratching away his belly, but she refused to let go of his shoulder. The spray can went flying and landed next to Jack.


    Without conscious thought, Jack dropped his bag and snatched up the can. He flung himself towards the cat, holding it out like a shield.


    Her screams filled the trees as he sprayed her straight in the eyes. She had finally released Daiki.


    The caracal mother threw herself back, pushing her hind claws into the ground for traction rather than into Daiki, for which Jack was grateful.


    Jack put himself between Daiki and the caramel-colored cat, keeping the spray can aimed at her as she yowled and pawed at her face. Daiki made a little sobbing noise, still on his knees.


    ¡°Fuck, fuckity fuck fuck, it hurts.¡±


    ¡°Daiki give me your lighter.¡± The cat was blinking blearily, but she¡¯d given up trying to get the paint from her eyes and was hissing at them instead, baring her long, blood-stained teeth.


    ¡°I can¡¯t move my arm¡­¡±


    ¡°Then use your other arm!¡± Jack didn¡¯t turn. He kept his eyes on the lightning-fast cat and put his free hand out behind his back.


    After a lot of swearing and achingly slow shuffling, Daiki finally placed the lighter into Jack¡¯s hand. It was one of those cheap plastic ones from a service station, but reassuringly solid in his grip.


    Jack slowly lifted it towards the spray can, as the cat watched him. She was starting to lift her hind quarters, getting ready to jump again.


    Jack didn¡¯t give himself time to think. He bellowed a war cry and rushed the cat, spraying the orange paint directly at her and holding the lighter to it.


    To his relief, the paint ignited right away.


    A fireball burst at his terrified enemy.


    She yowled and tried to dodge him, but Jack spun and kept the spray and flames aimed directly at her face, until the paint on her whiskers began to crip and singe away.


    Jack could see the desperation in her now-hazy eyes.


    Spitting and screaming with panic, she finally broke and raced away, trailing a faint line of smoke.


    Jack waited a moment in case she returned, but there was no sign of her. His hands shook with adrenaline. ¡°Are you OK?¡± He let the spray can fall to his side and turned to his friend. Daiki was still on his knees, clutching at his shoulder. His face was white.


    ¡°She almost¡­ she almost killed me.¡±


    Jack resisted the urge to say ¡°I told you so¡± and shuffled slowly to his bag. He stuck the lighter into his pocket and kept hold of the near-empty can of spray paint while he pulled out the first aid kit. Again.


    He kept his ears perked as he snipped open Daiki¡¯s t-shirt to inspect the wound, but all he could hear was the ubiquitous rustle of the trees. He was pretty sure the mama cat would not be back any time soon.


    Luckily, it didn¡¯t look like she had hit any arteries and the puncture wounds weren¡¯t bleeding much. She¡¯d bitten so deep into Daiki¡¯s shoulder, her body weight hadn¡¯t been enough to tear open the wound. Torn or not, however, Jack knew there was a huge risk of infection. He hoped Daiki was up to date on his shots.


    ¡°Can you move your arm?¡±


    Daiki bit his lip and lifted it gingerly. ¡°Fucking fuckers on a fuckstick, yes, I can move it. I really don¡¯t want to though.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t swear so much in front of your baby.¡± Jack indicated the pouch, from which still came the occasional annoyed mewl. The kitten sounded like an electronic bee when she cried. It was the strangest thing.


    Jack pulled out a tube of disinfectant cream.


    ¡°This is going to hurt.¡±


    Daiki gritted his teeth but sat silently hunching as Jack rubbed the cream into his shoulder.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s just as well you don¡¯t have a backpack, huh.¡±


    ¡°Just as well I¡¯ve got my own private nurse.¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t sure if that was supposed to be an insult or a compliment. He finished binding up the wound and made his friend drink some cordial with the last of the water. Daiki¡¯s color had come back, and the wounds weren¡¯t that bad, but Jack really, really hoped this world had antibiotics. They had cyborg technology, right? So they had to have antibiotics. His 4X games wouldn¡¯t lie to him like that.


    ¡°OK, can you walk?¡±


    Daiki pushed himself to his feet and wavered a little, but nodded.


    ¡°We should try to get to that river. We need more water, pronto.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡± Daiki gripped his suitcase with his good hand and started to walk.


    ¡°Hang on,¡± said Jack. ¡°How do you know that¡¯s the right way to go?¡±


    Daiki pointed, his arm visibly trembling. Jack followed his finger and felt a small shock go through him as he caught sight of two orange marks, only a few meters away. The furthest one was barely visible in the dusk.


    ¡°But... but we moved from where we were¡­ We shouldn¡¯t be anywhere near those marks.¡±


    ¡°We must have gone in a circle.¡± Daiki shrugged his uninjured shoulder, careful not to disturb his passenger too much. ¡°Come on, Jack. If we¡¯re going, let¡¯s go already.¡±


    ¡°You were the one who...!¡±


    Daiki wasn¡¯t listening. He was walking into the gloom between the trees and there was nothing Jack could do but follow.

 7: Prank War (I)

    There are only so many fucks that a person can give about another person. For some people, the supply of fucks is naturally bigger than in others, but many different things can contribute more fucks to a finite pool. Fucking over your friends, for example. Jack felt he had stocked up to the brim on fucks to spend on Daiki, and he could keep doling them out, no matter how much the spiky-haired arsehole needled him, no matter how much he steamrolled the situation and ruined Jack¡¯s moment to shine.


    Jack had plenty of fucks to give.


    So far it looked like he was going to have to use every single one of them.


    Daiki just kept marching along in the forest, wheeling his stupid, noisy suitcase and patting the lump of murder-bait he had insisted on rescuing and strapping to himself.


    He shot down every attempt Jack made at speculation, or planning and seemed perfectly happy to walk in a straight line until he fell over a cliff and took Jack and the tiny murder-bait with him.


    He¡¯s always thought he was better than us, Jack thought spitefully to himself. Ever since he went to that fancy school. He had more talent, more money, more of his head up his arse.


    At first glance, Jack and Daiki should have had more in common than any of their friends. They were both raised by single mothers. They lived on the same street. They were both ambitious and smart. They even went to the same school for the first few years, and Jack had vague memories of being good friends with Daiki. The small half-Japanese kid had connections and, always seemed to have better trading cards than anyone else in their class. The two of them got into scraps and spent hours eating ice cream and playing card games at Jack¡¯s house.


    Daiki was sent to the private school when they were both about seven. Jack had no real memories of it happening. At some point, Daiki was just not at school anymore. He did remember learning that his friend was at a boarding school, and thinking at first that meant he was learning how to skateboard.


    Daiki had shown up at the local public high school at the beginning of their third year. Rumor had it that he¡¯d been thrown out of a fancy private school. Jack was already best friends with Steve and starting to get close to Zac, but he was more than willing to bring Daiki back into the fold.


    I was a freaking saint, Jack muttered to himself as he followed Daiki through the increasing gloom under the strange trees. Daiki¡¯s hair wasn¡¯t spiky at that point, but was long and loose, with a blunt fringe that fell into his eyes.


    He might not remember their childhood all that well, but he definitely remembered their reacquaintance. He was nothing but nice to the sour new kid, and all he got in return was¡­ nothing. The same bullshit treatment he was getting right now in fact. He tried to say hello to Daiki, to be friendly in front of everyone, even offered him a homemade brownie, and Daiki pretended he didn¡¯t exist.


    And then he egged Jack¡¯s house. Real fuckin¡¯ sophisticated.


    Jack had spent the afternoon with Steve and came home to find his mother scrubbing the egg off their front door.


    Just thinking about it made Jack¡¯s blood boil all over again. The kick to his system quickened his legs until he had raced past Daiki and stopped in front of him.


    ¡°What time is it, Daiki?¡±


    ¡°It''s almost 6pm... and no river -or castle- in sight.¡± Daiki barely paused and started to push past Jack. Jack didn¡¯t move and Daiki relented for a moment.


    ¡°Still got six hours to go. We¡¯ll get there.¡± Jack hid the burn in his chest and tried to sound upbeat, but he was feeling more and more regret that he had let Daiki lead him off through the woods all day. Daiki was slightly older and he was smart, but he was wrecking everything right now and Jack could feel that in his gut.


    The problem was, Jack didn¡¯t have a real alternative to argue for. All he knew was that they were missing something. Something that needed time and space to work out.


    Time and space that Daiki wasn¡¯t giving him.


    Jack was sure if started trying to take charge, his friend would just ignore him and keep walking, but he was running out of patience.


    ¡°We should be at the river by now.¡±


    Overwhelmed, Jack leaned against one of the trees for a moment. The constant murmur of leaves seemed to grow louder at his touch. He hurriedly pushed himself upright again and glanced at his friend. Daiki didn''t seem to have noticed. Jack wondered if his own mind was playing tricks on him.


    ¡°Are you sure? You might¡¯ve misjudged the distance to the river.¡± Now that Jack had stopped them for a few moments, Daiki seemed too worn out to even make sarcastic comments. He had been trying to walk fast enough to curb any arguments, but Jack could tell his shoulder was really hurting him. The bandages were stained with scarlet blotches which matched the scratches on his face.


    He was breathing shakily too, wobbling the makeshift pouch on his chest, with one hand against a tree trunk. Still, he refused to give up the kitten when Jack offered to carry her.


    If only I had been stuck with Steve, Jack caught himself thinking, but that wasn''t right either. If only all of them had been stuck together.


    Daiki¡¯s hair was bristling from a combination of nervous hands and too much hair gel. Jack could see a deep red groove in each of his palms, where he had been pulling his suitcase.


    He wondered how much longer the wheels on that case would last. He wondered if his face was as haggard as Daiki¡¯s at the moment.


    ¡°If we¡¯ve been going the right way, we should definitely be there by now,¡± he insisted, quietly. The state of his friend had dulled the anger that had flared in him. There were still some fucks left, after all. ¡°Can you hear any water?¡±


    They both stood quietly and listened. After a moment Daiki frowned.


    ¡°I- I think I can hear something. Maybe it¡¯s some water¡­? It¡¯s coming from over there.¡±


    He pointed slightly to the right of where they were facing. Jack tensed himself to take off again immediately, but to Jack¡¯s relief, his friend sat down instead.


    Daiki pulled the small bottle of fish sauce from his suitcase and dripped some onto his fingers, then stuck them into the makeshift pouch. Jack noticed he was careful to hold the precious vintage jersey away from the sauce, even though it was covered in bloodstains.


    Jack slid his pack off and fished out a box of muesli bars, handing a couple to Daiki. With his good hand and his teeth, Daiki ripped into them so eagerly that Jack felt guilty he hadn''t offered them before. Didn''t he bring any food at all?


    They both sat completely still for a moment, chewing on dry oats and chocolate. Jack wished he had some water left.


    Underneath the noise of the trees, Jack thought he, too, could discern another sound. Please let it be the river. Unless we can refill the bottles, we¡¯re going to start getting real thirsty.


    ¡°I can hear it as well. Maybe there¡¯s a bend in the river?¡± Jack tried to picture the landscape he had seen from the tree. ¡°I couldn''t see the whole thing because of the forest. Maybe it bends out here and that''s why we haven''t reached it yet. Or maybe we got off course somehow.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°We didn''t get off course.¡± Daiki narrowed his eyes at the suggestion. Even though Jack had taken over the spray can, Daiki had insisted on telling him when to mark the trees each time. He spat a few crumbs as he spoke vehemently. ¡°If that dinosaur hasn''t been lying to us...¡±


    ¡°Mico wouldn''t lie to us.¡±


    ¡°Well, he ditched us, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t know what to say to that.


    Daiki stopped munching a bar long enough to chew on his bottom lip. It was getting so dark now that Jack was starting to have trouble seeing his friend''s face. He dug his hands into his pack, looking for the flashlight before remembering it was clipped to the side.


    ¡°So what should we do?¡± A hesitant note entered Daiki¡¯s voice. ¡°I... I''m so worried about the guys. I mean, Zac is- he was scared enough already. I don''t know how he''d be handling this...¡±


    Jack sighed heavily through a mouthful of oats. He didn¡¯t need to be reminded of the others.


    He found the flashlight and stared at it, as though it was fascinating, while he spoke.


    ¡°Look, I''m really, truly sorry. I shouldn''t have brought you guys into this. I know I can¡¯t make it up to you.¡± He glanced up and grinned weakly. ¡°But who knows? Maybe they¡¯re sitting around a banquet at the castle. Hell, for all we know they¡¯re watching us on big TV screens right now.¡±


    Daiki didn¡¯t grin back but his face softened.


    ¡°Better bloody not be.¡±


    Jack crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at the air. Was it his imagination, or did that group of trees jiggle a little? Is someone following us?


    It seemed as if Daiki was about to say more, perhaps words that weren¡¯t angry, perhaps words that were even kind.


    You know, Jack thought. Like, maybe, ¡°thanks for saving my life¡±?


    Just as Daiki opened his mouth, something thunked onto a branch well above their heads. Daiki jumped and almost fell trying to scramble away. The kitten swung about and yowled as she thumped his chest. She dug her claws in, trying to scramble to safety, and Daiki grunted in pain from her and his jarred shoulder.


    Jack flicked the flashlight on and revealed Mico, sitting on the branch, his metal wing flashing green in the light.


    A handful of black needles fell onto Daiki''s green-tinged head. His brown eyes grew hot at the sight of the little cyborg and then iced over once again.


    Jack didn¡¯t know if he should be overjoyed at the pterosaur¡¯s return or dismayed that the return had upset Daiki, just when he seemed about to get over himself.


    ¡°Screw your apologies, Jack. They aren''t going to get our friends back.¡±


    Daiki dropped his wrappers and brushed crumbs off his clothes. He soothed the mewling kitten, stroking her through the purple wool. Then he addressed the cyborg, his voice cold. ¡°Mico, have we been going the right way?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Mico, his calm voice floating through the darkness.


    ¡°Mico, where have you been?¡±


    In the flashlight beam, Mico¡¯s eyes had a noticeable grid pattern, like an insect. It gave Jack the creeps, so he directed the light elsewhere.


    ¡°Who the hell cares?¡± Daiki was gripping his suitcase handle. ¡°We should walk toward the river, then follow it up to that building you saw. Hopefully, there¡¯s a phone, or a bridge, or something. The sooner we finish this, the better.¡±


    Jack suspected his friend was not talking about completing the task on time in order to secure the interview.


    It didn¡¯t matter. For now, their goal was the same.


    ¡°It might just be a small river. I couldn''t tell from so far away. We might not even need a bridge.¡±


    Daiki gestured at his suitcase. ¡°Unless you feel like carrying this, we need a bridge. It¡¯s not waterproof.¡± He unzipped it and pulled a small flashlight out of the top pocket, then zipped it back up again with an angry flick of his hand.


    After shining the light carefully, and for longer than Jack thought was strictly necessary, at the orange mark behind them, Daiki made another, in the shape of an arrow, pointing toward the quiet roar of water.


    Jack waited until his friend was a few feet away before scooping up all the empty muesli wrappers he¡¯d dropped and shoving them into his pocket. He had no intention of offending this strange forest by littering.


    After about ten minutes of walking, the trees began to thin out and Jack switched off his flashlight. Judging by the shadows and the pale sky, he would need it again before long, even out from under the trees. The idea of being in Nimble Woods after dark, with the chattering black leaves all around him was terrifying. Jack started to curse Daiki silently again, his brain trying to assign blame for their situation, and picking an easy target. It wasn¡¯t fair, and, more importantly, it wasn¡¯t helpful, since Jack suspected even a hint of anger or resentfulness would send Daiki into a rage.


    Jack decided he needed to get his mind off the coming darkness. His eyes were drawn by Mico, who jumped nimbly from limb to limb above them, barely shaking the leaves as he passed.


    ¡°Mico, you said you would tell me more about your wing?¡±


    The pterosaur ran lightly down a trunk to the forest floor and then scrambled up Jack''s leg to his shoulder. He was so light, Jack barely felt his weight.


    ¡°What would you like to know, Jack?"


    The time passed more quickly then, although Jack, now distracted, fell back until he could hardly see Daiki.


    The unmistakable noise of water grew louder and rougher until it was echoing from the trees. Concern bloomed in Jack¡¯s stomach, and he wasn¡¯t quite sure why. He tried to concentrate on what the little creature was saying, but it was becoming difficult to hear him.


    ¡°...sunlight is usually sufficient, although blood is a more efficient power source...¡±


    Jack stopped just in time to avoid crashing into Daiki, who had paused at the edge of the tree line. His fists were clenched by his sides. With a squawk, Mico jumped to the nearest tree and began to climb.


    The ocean stretched out before them, blue and vast and totally unwelcome. They were at the top of a cliff that dropped sharply into the water, a couple of hundred meters below. The sun was directly in front of them, and drifting close to the horizon. The sky above was draining of color in anticipation of sunset. There were quite a few seagulls in the distance, over the water.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Jack said, loud enough for Daiki to hear him over the sharp sound of a large waterfall about 50 meters away. It was the ocean. They shouldn¡¯t be anywhere near the ocean.


    Jack took in a lungful of clean, salt air and decided not to worry. At least they could follow the river now. No more relying on those shifty orange marks.


    It was a nice view over the cliff, which was very high. Jack took the opportunity to lower his bag to the ground. It was really starting to kill his back. He knew without looking that Daiki was furious, once again.


    He tried to make the best of it.


    ¡°You seem a decent fellow¡­ I hate to kill you,¡± he quipped, taking a fencer¡¯s pose and swishing his flashlight through the air like a sword.


    Daiki only glared harder, clutching his shoulder. Jack shrugged and tried to keep his tone light. ¡°Well- at least we found the river...¡±


    ¡°The river. The goddamned river?¡±


    A sudden blow to his shoulder startled Jack. He flinched away from it, clipping Daiki with his arm.


    Daiki stumbled toward the cliff edge, crying out, then flung himself to the side, just managing to avoid the drop.


    Jack crouched slightly, his jujitsu lessons springing to mind, but quickly realized it had only been Mico, tumbling back onto his shoulder.


    ¡°What the-¡± Jack checked on Daiki who was already pushing himself upright. He had landed, arse-down, in some of the small, scrubby clumps of grass that lined the edge of the cliff.


    The kitten seemed to be safe and secure in her pouch, although she was protesting loudly.


    ¡°Jack I must requessst thaaaattt wweeefffftttttt...¡± Mico¡¯s voice dissolved as his wing was hit by the sea wind. As it was, Jack could barely hear him over the waterfall. His little friend seemed almost... scared.


    ¡°Mico, I can''t understand you,¡± he said loudly, edging away from the cliff. ¡°Here, we''ll go back under the trees...¡±


    Something solid hit him again, this time driving him into the ground. He felt Mico take off as he fell, and rolled, instinctively trying to get back on his feet. Jack bashed his ankle against a tree but managed to get his legs under him.


    It took his eyes a minute to focus in the forest darkness but the only shape he could make out was Daiki''s. His friend was glowering fiercely up into the branches. He had tried to grab at Mico and had missed, thumping Jack in the process.


    ¡°Daiki, what the f-¡±


    ¡°That little sneaky, lying piece of shit has been leading us here so he could kill us!¡± Daiki had his fists clenched and was covered in blood once again.  ¡°Yeah, that''s right, arsehole,¡± He spat the words as he spoke. ¡°I''m onto you.¡±