He says it so casually, so nonchalantly, and with such conviction that she wonders if he’s insane. But that doesn’t stop her from responding. If it’s a test of some sort, she’s not going to waver.
“Of course I know about the war between the fairies and the ogres,” Filomena says. “That’s the whole point of the book series. To see if good wins over evil in the end.”
“But it’s not just a book,” Jack insists. “It’s real.”
Okay, so first he’s never heard of the Never After books and now he’s telling her they’re real? This is getting annoying. She grabs for the book again and takes it from him. “Just quit it. It isn’t funny anymore.”
“I’m not trying to be humorous,” he replies seriously.
“Just go away, please. The thunder and cackling were impressive, really great trick. And your cosplay is excellent. Obviously you’re actually way too into the books, and it’s kind of creepy.” She finishes stuffing the book into her backpack, where it’s safe and sound, and zips the pack closed.
“Please, hold on,” the boy says, looking at her intently. “One moment.”
She snaps her head toward him, giving him an irritated scowl. “Leave me alone! I’m going home now. Don’t follow me again or I’ll call the police. I have a whistle!”
She shifts the backpack so it’s comfortably resting on her shoulders. She gives him one last hard stare so he knows she means business.
“I wasn’t following you!” he says.
“Yes you were!”
“Okay, I was! But I saw you had the Golden Oak on your pack, and so I thought maybe you were going back to the Heart Tree, and I was lost, and I figured I could just follow you there.”
“Heart Tree? You mean the portal that connects all the lands of Never After to each other?” she asks, eyes narrowed.
“Well, yes. So you do know where it is!”
“Um, no, because it doesn’t exist! It’s just in the books! And this is merchandise,” she says, pointing to the sigil on her bag. “Stuff they sell to fans once they’ve read the books but still have money to burn!”
“The books?” asks Jack.
“The books!” It takes everything Filomena has in her not to stamp her feet.
“Let’s please not have this argument about what’s real and what’s not again,” he begs.
“We’re not going to. But stop following me.”
“Fine.” He rolls his eyes.
“Fine.” She rolls hers.
She eyes him suspiciously and turns away, holding tight to her backpack straps as she starts running again. Only this time, she’s not running for her life but running away from the cloaked boy who just helped save her from the latest disaster of the day.
Once again she watches her sneakers pad the pavement. Only now, she’s counting down the moments until she’s back on the street—the same place she just desperately fled from.
She almost laughs at the irony, and she probably would if she weren’t so out of breath. Usually she tries to avoid the whole miserable species, but right now she’s never wished harder in her whole life than to be surrounded by people.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE FRIEND
Jack watches the girl walk (well, run) away. Frowning, he considers her obsession with the vine on his arm, wishing he could let it spring out and wrap her up and bring her back to him. But judging by her tone, she probably wouldn’t like that at all.
If only she would help him. He has to get back home; who knows what’s happening there. He stumbled into this world by accident, and now he has to stumble out of it somehow. Why did the portal take him here, of all places? He’s heard that the land of mortals is strange and dangerous, but he didn’t count on the natives being so unfriendly.
Zera warned him once that they don’t believe in Never After over here, but he didn’t realize it was true. Then again, how did that girl know a fairy spell? And what was that book she was carrying?
“Hey!” Jack calls out again. He realizes he doesn’t even know her name. Although she knows his. And what did she call him? The dashing hero of the series. Yeah, he’ll take it.
He waits for a moment, hoping she’ll turn and come back. But she’s long gone. Her long legs have taken her away.
He shakes his head and starts making his way to the end of the alley, considering his next move.
A sudden rustle in the bushes startles him, followed by the pop of a head out of the center. “Great job, chap. Seems like you really won her over.”
Jack clutches his chest and tries not to scream. “You scared the living beast out of me, Alistair! Little warning next time?”
The short, ruddy-cheeked boy finishes climbing out of the bushes with an innocent yet amused smile. He plucks some green leaves and twigs from his rough-spun tunic and close-cropped dark hair. “Sorry. Didn’t want her to see me. She seemed spooked enough. Well, can’t blame her. Ogre’s Wrath and all. I nearly tinkled me trousers meself. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” He shudders, then kicks his boots against the building to get the last of the dirt from himself.
Jack offers a sympathetic smile and pats his friend on the shoulder as he finishes dusting himself off. “It’s hard to get used to.”
Alistair removes one of his boots and inspects the bottom of it. Then he makes a face like he’s going to hurl, and brings the boot closer to Jack. “What do you think this is? I can’t get it off. It’s pink and … stretchy and it’s gotten things stuck in it.”
Jack pushes the boot away and says, “That’s quite all right. Keep your sticky things to yourself, please.”
Alistair shrugs and puts his boot back on, then stomps a few times for good measure, trying to get the pink goo off.
Jack watches his pal and smirks, trying to stifle the impending laugh bubbling up in his throat.
Alistair is one of Jack’s greatest friends, despite how different they are. Alistair is a head shorter than Jack, with a sweet, open face, and loyal to no end. His good nature tends to get him into troubling situations, but his sense of humor and positive attitude tend to lead him out of them.
“What’s cosplay?” Jack asks Alistair as they continue walking together.
“Beats me,” says Alistair. “What did you want with her, anyway?”
“She carried the mark of the Golden Oak. I thought she could help us find our way back to the tree. Plus, she had a spellbook and knew how to deflect an Ogre’s Wrath.”
“But she told you to go away.”
“I noticed,” says Jack.
“What do we do now?”
Jack sighs. “Let’s get something to eat. We’ll try to find the Heart Tree again tomorrow. We need to let Zera know I got you out of Parsa in the nick of time.”
“I can’t believe they raided that entire kingdom for one lamp,” says Alistair.
“Well, they didn’t get it this time, and they never will,” Jack says. “Not if we can help it.”
“Queen Olga knows we’re here for sure, though, sending her wrath through the portal and all. She’s never going to give up on that lamp,” says Alistair.