I nodded. "Good." The clock ticked above us, reminding me of my lack of time. I cleared my throat. "Hey, uh . . . have you seen Jaden around?"

She didn't even look up. "No. I think he was out late though, you could try his room."

My throat locked up instantly, but I tried to hold it together. "And wh-where is that?" My voice sounded about three octaves too high.

Sophie looked up now, pursing her lips. "Well, it'd be a bit hard to find. . . . I could have someone show you, or write it down."

I nodded, eyes wide. "Writing it out is fine."

With a quick smile, she turned her gaze down, flipped to a clear sheet of paper, and proceeded to scribble out directions.

I felt incredibly awkward in those few seconds standing there. It was so affecting, my mind couldn't' even contemplate why.

"Here you go," she said, ripping the paper out vigorously.

I took it.

"I drew a little map out for you . . . that's where we are now." She pointed to a box on the diagram.

I nodded. "Right, okay."

The map was thoroughly detailed. Not at all what I would expect from Sophie. Below it were much messier, written directions.

"I wrote it out underneath too, and Ikovos's room is right here, near Jaden's. Just so you know for the future."

I might not have been able to keep my mortification from showing if I weren't so taken with the map. It was really quite impressive. I looked up. "Thanks, Sophie."

"Anytime," she said, slipping back into her chair. "Oh, and you look nice today, by the way."

Though the comment made me feel insecurely exposed, a smile crossed my face. She was already back to reading when I muttered a thanks and goodbye.

I was barely through the doorway when the prospect of asking Jaden to take me along hit me freshly. I looked down at the map and began following the path, starting with a left turn.

It shouldn't, he did already say he would take me. Besides, I don't have to stay near him. Once I'm going I'll just walk by someone else or something.

I took another left turn, then a right, up some stairs, then another right. By the time I was nearing the room, my mind was just about as tangled around as the trip had been. Letting out one last quivering breath. I told myself to stop being a baby, straightened up, and walked the final corridor to stand in front of a dark, and unnaturally foreboding, wooden door.

I lifted my hand to knock, but it froze before touching the surface. I couldn't let myself go in like this, I was already shaking all over.

What do I have to be so nervous about anyways? . . . Okay, dumb question. Because, truth be told, in my entire life I had rarely felt as anxious as I did whenever I was with the boy in the next room. Which is actually understandable . . . he's not very nice. And I'm so blasted sensitive. We just don't fit.

I let my palm slide against the wood.

This isn't that complicated, I just have to accept the fact that we're not going to be friends . . . it will make dealing with him in logistical situations much simpler.

My stomach twisted, but at least the shaking was lessened. With intense resolve to interact with Jaden in a calm, collected, manner, I rolled my shoulders back, tucked some loose hairs behind my ear, lifted my chin up high, took a very deep breath, and knocked solidly.

Of course I realized a second afterwards that I still had the map in my hand. I muttered a curse and folded it up to put into my back pocket. The door opened amidst this. When I looked up, all carefully-perfected form lost now, Jaden was staring down at me.

For maybe a fraction of a second he looked surprised. It quickly vanished into annoyance.

"What are you doing here?"

The question hung in the air. I knew in my mind that I was expected to answer, and until I did the seconds would just keep ticking by, but nothing was coming. I thought at best I could get out a few mumbles . . . this situation was single-handedly going to give me a permanent stutter.

"I, ah . . ."

He tilted his head impatiently, dark eyes barreling.

I was surprised at the intensity of his annoyance. Usually it took a while for him to get there. Then again, I suppose we did end on a bad note last time. . . . The thought reminded me of my newfound resolution to remain emotionally detached.

"I came to ask you a question."

He looked unimpressed. I assumed no response meant I was allowed to speak. Before I could I heard a noise down the hall and saw two boys pass the corridor a ways down. This wasn't a conversation I wanted the whole world hearing.

I looked back at him carefully. "Can I come in?"

At first, from his expression, I thought he might say no and slam the door in my face. But then something in the hard gaze softened, or was at least suppressed. He took a step back, hand still high in the frame, and pulled the door open.

I ducked my head slightly and walked past him into the room. It was small, dim. I didn't have time to examine further. The door clicked behind me and I turned around.

"What is it you needed?" He was already leaning, in true form, against a dresser. Arms crossed. I studied him. It seemed he was trying to be civil, but the bothered tone was thinly veiled.

I took a breath. "I want to go with you."

"Go with me where?"

I tapped my hand nervously. "Well . . . where is it that you're going today?"

He stared at me blankly, like I was crazy, it wasn't the first time I'd gotten the look. Then I guess realization hit, because suddenly his face was back to annoyance. "Out of the question." He walked over to the other side of the room and started shuffling through a box.

"Why not?" I asked.

He continued unfazed. "I don't need a reason, it's not happening."

My face soured. I just can't catch a break with this guy. No matter how I act I always end up feeling like a worthless bother. He went on digging through a box, apparently ignoring me completely now. Unfortunately my new resolution didn't stop him from looking just as good . . . somehow it seemed it should.

I looked down. "Back at the cabin you said you would take me . . . next time just be honest up front, it'll save us both time."

Without looking up, I walked to the door and twisted the knob. Before it was even half-way open a hand pressed beside me, slamming it shut.

I twisted around.

"Are you trying to say I'm dishonest?" The intensified boy was looking at me indignantly, arm still stretched out on the door beside me. He was quite close, I felt a little trapped flattened up against the hard wood.

"I'm not trying to say anything, I'm just stating a fact."

Somehow the dark gaze got even harder. I just stood there, trying to figure out if I should move, feeling monumentally awkward.

Finally his head nodded backwards. "Go sit down."

I opened my mouth to speak but he interrupted.

"Sit."

With a gulp and a glance at the veined forearm holding the door shut beside me, I lowered my eyes and walked over to the bed. Considering I had no idea what was happening at this point, I waited for further instructions, but Jaden just walked back over to his dresser.

Oh, this is just ridiculous! What could he possibly be doing now?

I sighed dejectedly and finally allowed myself to study the orange flame on his nightstand. It wasn't long before a slamming drawer brought my attention fully back onto Jaden. He was slipping a weapon into his belt.

"Let's get one thing straight," he started, attention still focused elsewhere. "Thoran and a few of the others might be going, but once we're out of the lodge they'll be busy." He looked up now. "In other words, I'm all you've got, so you better listen to everything I tell you to do."

My eyes narrowed in confusion before widening. "Wait, you're saying you're going to take me?"

He didn't respond, not at all, which was in itself answer enough. Anticipation knotted in my stomach, - but it was dwarfed immediately by curiosity at Jaden's sudden change.

"I don't understand, why did you?-"

He turned around to open another drawer before I could finish. I narrowed my eyes, but only because his back was turned. Truth be told, I was beginning to feel slightly insecure, not the ideal sate for going to an evil dimension, or arguing with Jaden.

I kept quiet.

"First rule, don't ask questions."

I took a deep breath as he shuffled through the drawer. "Okay, I can do that." I'll just ask Ikovos when I get back. I'm good at not asking questions . . . right?

"Two, don't look any of the Meoden in the eye, just keep your head down."

I nodded seriously as he closed the last drawer and stood up straight.

"Do I get a weapon?" I asked carefully.

He turned around and walked to the other side of the room to grab his jacket. "No. And that was a question."

"Oh, right. . . ." I sighed. I was thankful he had decided to take me, but it didn't seem to change the fact that he didn't like me much. I stood up, preparing to follow him, tucking some hairs behind my ear and straightening a wrinkle in my shirt nervously.

"Rule three, don't go off . . ." His voice trailed as I caught him giving me an once-over. He turned around to grab another jacket. "Put this on," he said, tossing me the dark leather overcoat. It weighed a ton.

"Will it be that cold?" I asked as I slipped my arms into the sleeves. I thought I saw his head shaking slightly as he turned to open the door.

"Sure," he drawled, then he looked at me as an obvious signal to go ahead.

A bit flustered by the rapid departure, I entered the hallway, shrugging the jacket on completely. It was much too big and much too heavy, but I didn't mind . . .

I barely made it two feet before Jaden was out ahead of me, moving at a rapid but rather controlled pace down the hall.

"Rule three, don't go off by yourself anywhere."

I would have liked to scoff at this one, I wasn't that stupid, but all brevity was lost when he turned his head back to see that I had heard him.

"Got it," I replied submissively.

Without an acknowledgment, he turned his head forward and continued walking. We went on like this for a while, the halls getting less and less crowded.

"Ah, Jaden? . . . "

He pushed through a door ahead, stopping inside to hold it open with an outstretched arm. I walked past him carefully into the small, dark, space, then checked to see if he'd heard me. He was giving me an expectantly impatient look, so he must have. The door closed slowly behind us.

"Ikovos said that Thoran might have a problem with me going. Are you sure you don't need to ask first?"

He raised one eyebrow like I'd just asked the most absurd question in the world. "There won't be a problem." With that he reached for the torch on the wall and headed down the unlit stairwell ahead.

"Okay," I muttered to myself, then tightened the jacket and followed him down the stairs. It was strange, I thought I felt a breeze coming upwards, and it didn't seem at all like we were still in the lodge. I would have asked Jaden about this, but of course that would be breaking the rules.

I watched him ahead of me. Eyes forward, pace brisk, belt loaded with foreboding weapons, and not a word, not a single checking glance . . . My brow furrowed as we reached the base of the stairs. The room was larger, but once again unlit.

"Are there any more rules?" I asked as he moved to the right to set the torch into a holder on the wall.

He spun around, leaning back against the door. "Yeah. No talking."

I took a deep breath. The last thing that we needed right now was another fight. "If I can't talk, what was the reason for rule one?"

I caught a flicker of consideration past his disconnected visage. Then his eyes hardened, grazed mine boldly, and turned around to the door behind him.

He opened this up into a much brighter, much wider room. It was unexpected to say the least. Lots of lights, white mostly, and heavy machines that filled the room with a rumble of metal-ticked sounds. There were a few men working on different pieces throughout the room. Some alone. Some in pairs.

My study was interrupted by Jaden. He pointed past me to an empty wall on the right. "Wait over there."

I gulped then nodded, the unfamiliar surroundings making me much more compliant. As I walked over to the wall, I studied the large mechanism in the middle of the room more closely. Five iron, wire-entangled, pillars came up in a circle around what looked like a metal grate in the floor. There was some sort of symbol engraved on this, but I moved past too quickly to make it out.

By the time I reached the wall and turned around, Jaden was walking up to three men on the far side of the room. When the first turned around I realized it was Thoran. I watched as Jaden addressed him, but when the deep, grey, eyes moved past to me, I quickly looked away. I didn't have to guess at what they were discussing. I only hoped that Jaden's confidence wasn't unfounded. An inward and unwarranted smirk crossed my mind, thus far it hadn't been.

It wasn't long before Jaden moved away from Thoran. The latter man's expression seemed resigned enough to make me guess that Jaden had convinced him to let me come. I thought then that Jaden would walk over to one of the many boys spread throughout the room, but he ignored them all, opting instead to stand alone against the wall a few feet away from me.

I waited a few seconds thinking he might speak, but nothing came. He looked bothered and somewhat bored . . . it made little sense with all the excitement of the situation, but I knew that the first bit, at least, was due to me.

Nearby, two men were fiddling with a curiously-shaped mechanism. One of them glanced up at me and I impulsively slid over, closer to Jaden. The unreasonably attractive boy now had his head leaned back against the wall, eyes closed. When I checked back at the man who had looked at me he was smiling oddly. I glanced away after a moment, studying Thoran instead. He seemed deep in conversation with the two older men. Suddenly they all turned to look at me with not so much friendly expressions, as speculative ones.

My chest rose a little bit and I looked down. I think the whole ambiguity of the situation had me spooked.

I peeked over at Jaden again. His eyes were still closed. Then I started to strum my fingers on my leg. Just as I was opening my mouth to ask how long we would be waiting like this he spoke.

"As soon as Master Boron gets here, we'll leave."

My mouth hung for a few seconds. Then I nodded coolly, before risking a glance at the boy beside me once again. His head was still leaned back, exposing his throat. His jaw wasn't as clenched as usual, but everything else was tight enough to catch the intake of breaths. I thought I saw his features tense for a moment, before a large hand gripped my arm.