After Jax leaves the cabin, I remain frozen to my seat. My heart still pounds loudly in my ears. He must think Antares is a truly dangerous person, to have such an explosive reaction. His magic was even more frightening than Emi’s, though maybe it’s because he was enraged. Thinking back on that night, Emi was on alert, and seemed volatile, but she didn’t have the same level of outburst like Jax had.

I place a hand against my chest and breathe deeply until my heart calms down. With the lack of danger, I realize how weary I am, so I make my way to the bed and lay down on the firm mattress. Why can accept his explanations so easily? He could be giving me only partial truths or mislead me to a point where I might cause Emi more problems. I don’t know anything about him other than his name, that he can use magic, and that he’s connected to Emi and Antares.

Despite all that, how somber and emotional he was when he left leads me to think he can’t be a bad person. He did have the outburst because he wanted me to stay away from this world and its dangers in the future. Someone who can express so much concern for another must be an alright person.

Additionally, do I have any other options? I sigh, and roll onto my side, curling my arm under the pillow. I close my eyes. On the bright side, my life is more interesting now. I laugh silently in my head and feel a pang of guilt from thinking that while Emi is still in danger. I’m really not a great person.

—-------------

I wake slowly, confused as to where I am. I stare at the ceiling of a log cabin. I smell a faint hint of lavender in the chilly air. Oh yeah, Jax’s house. I sit up and look around, but Jax is still gone. There is sunlight behind the curtains of the single window next to the bed. I must have slept through the morning. I rub the sleep from my eyes and stand, cracking my back and neck. He really does have a firm mattress, which seems fitting for the rugged forest man vibe.

Where did he go for so long? I head out the door of the cabin into the sunlight. It’s a surprisingly warm autumn day, so I strip off my sweater and tie it around my waist. I look around the clearing and see the same things when I first arrived. The cabin and a pile of firewood next to it, underneath a small, angled awning. Must be so it can stay dry in the winter. I wander to the edge of the clearing, thinking that maybe I can find something to entertain myself until Jax gets back. However, Jax’s warning crosses my mind.

“I can’t guarantee your safety if you do that.” I say to myself. What danger? I can only assume he doesn’t mean wild animals and other normal things. My mind goes back to last night, first to the vision I saw and then to Jax’s outburst. I smile grimly, and head back to the cabin. I’d rather not take my chances, if it’ll be anything like that. I glance around the cabin again and notice that the pile of wood next to the fireplace is almost gone, so I start stacking some. Just as I’m placing the last log onto the pile, the door to the cabin opens. Jax stops in the doorway.

“Oh, you really didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” He says. Neither of us look the other in the eye. Jax comes fully into the cabin and shuts the door behind him. We stand across from each other in an awkward silence.

“Listen…” Jax starts, then pauses for a moment before continuing, “I’m sorry again about earlier. My reaction was far too aggressive.” He finishes, his eyes staring somewhere in the distance. I give him my best reassuring smile.

“It’s fine. I won’t lie and say it wasn’t scary; however, I can understand why you reacted that way. You wanted to get your point across that Antares is a dangerous person, and now I know this. Really, it’s fine now.” I say. Jax searches my eyes a few moments before nodding his head once.

“Thank you.” He says. Then he lets out a deep breath which he must have been holding in.

“Now, I’m sorry to do this all of a sudden, but there’s some training we need to get done today. There isn’t time to waste.” He adds, his voice is more businesslike now. He clenches his jaw and stares at me with serious eyes.

“Okay, let’s do it.” I say with a nod.

“Good, then follow me.” Jax says and leaves the cabin. I trail along behind him.

“Can you tell me where we’re going, or what the training is?” I ask.

“We’re jumping to the Glade of Memories.” Jax says, as he leads me through the forest.

“What’s that?” I ask. Jax stops suddenly, and I have to jolt to a stop, so I don’t run into his back.

“It’s not a pleasant place for most people, but it’s the only way to get your magical conduit.” Jax says without turning around. He fiddles with something in front of him, which is out of my vision.

“Here, take my hand for a moment.” He says and turns sideways, offering me his left hand. I grip it lightly. At first glance, past Jax is nothing but trees, though as I look closer there is a slight distortion in the air, similar to heat above a fire. Jax steps through the distortion in the air and pulls me gently along with him. My body vibrates as I pass through it, and on the other side is a circular clearing in the trees.

“What was that?” I ask, starting to feel eerily similar to a child on a road trip for the first time with all my questions.

“We teleported.” Jax states. I simply stare at him, dropping his hand. He laughs heartily and smiles widely.

“It sounds insane doesn’t it.” He says. I shake my head.

“Just surprised as to how straight-faced you can say it. It’s really not any stranger than the other things I’ve seen lately.” I say with a weak smile.

“That’s a good attitude to have,” Jax says as he grips my shoulder with one hand. Then I can see something change in him as he drops his smile and, as I’ve noticed has happened several times before, his eyes take on a distant look. “Though, you may need to take this more seriously than that. This place is truly unpleasant.” He says, his voice lacking in all the friendliness from a moment ago. His hand squeezes my shoulder tightly.

The more I’m around this man, the more I realize that he seems unstable, like he could change personality at the drop of a hat, or the mention of a name. That thought alone is unsettling, though I try to not instinctively pull myself away from him.

“I’ll take it seriously.” I say, forcing confidence in my voice. Jax stares at me with empty eyes, then nods to himself.

“Alright, then let’s keep going.” He says, dropping his hand from my shoulder, and stepping forward into the tree line in front of us. We walk for a while, until we reach the edge of the forest. I try my hardest, but I can’t see what’s past the trees. The air is blurry, like it was when we teleported the first time. Jax stops and turns to me.

“You have to go alone from here.” He says.

“What am I supposed to do?” I ask, still trying to see past him. All I can make out in the distance is the rough shape of a building.

“I can’t tell you, because it’s not the same for everyone. You’ll have to work your way through memories of yours. If you succeed, you’ll find your conduit,” Jax says, then gives me a sympathetic smile. “Be strong. The Glade of Memories doesn’t choose pleasant memories.” I clench my jaw and watch the blurry landscape past the barrier in front of me for several seconds, before I finally force myself to move forward. I quickly push myself through the barrier, the vibrations resounding through my chest and head.

Once I’m on the other side, I inhale sharply at the sight of my old high school in front of me. It’s the same as when I was still going there, even though I had heard from my parents that there had been some renovations to it. The dull brown brick, the glass doors, the scuffed vinyl floors, it all brings me back to those days.

To all those painful memories, hidden neatly away for so long.