�Why am I here?� she asked herself. �Why am I here on a journey I don�t even understand? What was that dragon talking about when he said this could be the new beginning or the end of everything? Why does this responsibility have to rest on our shoulders?� Jess shook her head and held it with her hands. Closing her eyes, she took in the soothing sounds of the forest surrounding her. Though the sounds of the strange land weren�t like the sounds of her home, they were definitely similar to her. The gentle rustle of the leaves above being kissed by the soft breeze, the quiet song of a foreign bird that foretold of rain soon to come. Jess smiled a bit as she took in these sounds, as they reminded her that even in a strange new land, there are still many things that are the same. Things that reminded her of home�
�Home�hmm�.� Jess took in a deep breath. Then without warning, jumped up and nearly fell off the rock in the process. �Home�oh, crap!�
Her eyes grew large as she saw how dark the sky had gotten and she checked her watch. Ten forty-five. Jumping off the rock, she dashed back towards the camp, hoping it was the right direction. Jess stumbled a few times, the night hiding the roots in shadow and making it very hard for her to find her way back to the clearing. After a good fifteen minutes, she became extremely worried when she still hadn�t reached the group.
�Jorden? Paki? Krita? Can anyone hear me? Anyone? HELP!!!� Jess kept running back to where she thought they were, but still tripped over the occasional root or stone. A stitch began to ache below her ribs. Breathing hard, she continued to call for help. Suddenly Jess tripped over another root and landed on the ground, knocking the wind out of her. She groaned and winced when she tried to stand again. A jolt of pain traveled from her ankle up her leg, but she went on, holding onto trees for support.
A faint voice floated to her ears. A familiar voice. Jess�s strength was renewed as the thought of getting out of the forest and back home filled her mind. The voice called her name once more. Jorden�s feet crunched leaves in the distance and moved towards where Jess was standing.
�Jess? Where are you?!�
�Jorden�here�must�home�� Jess panted, completely out of breath.
�Jess! We�ve been really worried! You know how late it is?� Jorden said. �Our parents are gonna freak on us! Why�d you�Jess, what�s wrong?� he asked, as she limped towards him.
�Root�think�it�s sprained��
�Crap�you�re lucky I found you�we�re not too far from the clearing. Otherwise, I don�t know if we�d have found you until morning. Here,� he said, wrapping his arm around her back, letting her lean on him.
�Thanks,� she whispered, limping along with him.
�Hey, what�re friends for?� Jorden said.
Another ten minutes later, they came into the clearing and saw Krita waiting there, looking extremely relieved to see Jess. �Oh, my, you had us so worried�you shouldn�t do that again, it�s too dangerous in these times, especially at night. Are you alright? What�s wrong with your ankle?�
�I�ll be okay, I just sprained it,� Jess replied, wincing in the process as her ankle just gave a sharp pain.
�It�s swelling up, we better get home fast,� Jorden said, looking at his watch and sighed. �It�s already eleven thirty. How are we gonna explain this to our parents? Wait, where�s Paki?�
"He went looking for you two a bit ago. I�ll meet up with him, but you two better get home. It�s very late. Just make sure you two come back tomorrow. Try to come back to the place we were at first today, it�ll be where you two left your world when you used the stones. Don�t worry. It�s quite safe there now. We�ll explain everything tomorrow.
�How do we get back home?� Jorden asked.
�The same way you came here, use the Stones,� Krita replied. �But to get back to where you started, I�ll have to fly you there. So climb on my back.� Jorden paled a bit, but didn�t reject. He helped Jess get up and then climbed on himself. Krita took off into the air and Jorden held on to her for dear life. Jess wanted to laugh, but felt like all her energy was spent. When they made it to the grassy field next to the large lake, Jorden jumped off of Krita, wobbled a bit, then helped Jess climb down.
�Oh, okay�well, until tomorrow then,� Jorden said, still a bit shaky. He and Jess took their pendants and gazed into them. It was much faster of a journey than when they first traveled. Because they had already done it before was their guess. Jorden landed on his feet but quickly jumped as Jess let out a gasp of pain and began to fall as her knees buckled. Jorden caught her before she hit the road.
�Hold on Jess, we�re not too far from your house�� Jorden said as he allowed Jess to once again lean on him.
�Thanks, again,� she gasped. Step by painful step they walked towards the Stonewall household. Jess wasn�t surprised to see a police car parked in front. It was only to be expected since it was nearly midnight, and the two were extremely exhausted. Carefully, slowly climbing the stairs that led up to the front door, Jess peeked through the window. A tall, muscular officer was talking to her parents who looked worried and a bit disheveled, as if they ran around the neighborhood in search of them. Jorden rang the doorbell and seconds later it slammed open. Mrs. Stonewall gasped and began to cry.
�JESS!� she sobbed, grabbing her daughter, who cried out as her ankle banged against the doorstep. Jorden stepped back a bit, letting his friend�s parents smother her in hugs and kisses. However, moments later their relieved faces changed as quickly as they came and were replaced with those of anger and hurt. Jess�s mother clamped her hands on Jess�s shoulders.
�Jessica Lynn Stonewall, what the he-� Mrs. Stonewall cut off looking at the officer as if a bit of profanity might upset him. �What in the world were you thinking? Leaving for hours and coming home in the middle of the night! We didn�t know where you were! You could�ve been hurt! You could�ve been dead for all we know!� Mr. Stonewall, who hadn�t spoken yet, nodded every once in a while. Jorden stepped through the doorway, and that was when Jess�s parents finally realized he was there. Mr. Stonewall�s eyes grew very large indeed.
�Jessica�? WHAT WERE YOU TWO DOING?! YOU-YOU DIDN�T, DID YOU?! I SWEAR, JORDEN CASTLEWAY, IF YOU EVEN LAID A FINGER ON MY DAUGHTER�I SWEAR YOU WILL REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR MORTAL DAYS! AND IF YOU DIE BEFORE ME, I�LL PRAY TO GOD THAT YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A FIREY PIT NEXT TO SATAN!!! YOU-�
�DAD!� Jess yelled. Her father stopped screaming his head off, but was breathing hard. He turned to his daughter and looked at her, opening his mouth to speak again, but Jess cut him off again. �Dad, we didn�t do anything! I thought you knew me! Jorden�s my best friend, but nothing more and you of all people should know that! We were at a-a friend�s house. You know Kristi Miller from school? We were at her house and we completely lost track of time. Anyway, we started home when I tripped and hurt my ankle. Jorden helped me walk home.�
�You hurt your ankle? Oh, my-� Mrs. Stonewall glanced at her ankle which was very red and puffy now. �Come on, honey, let�s get some ice on that�� she said, leading Jess into the kitchen. The police officer looked at them, though he was long forgotten about now. Jorden glanced at Mr. Stonewall; almost afraid he�d start yelling again. But he clapped a hand on his back, and Jorden looked up, perplexed.
�I�m sorry I yelled at you like that, Jorden, I should�ve known you wouldn�t do anything to Jess. Thanks for helping her get home.�
�Um, no problem�� Jorden said. He walked into the kitchen and glanced at Jess�s ankle, which was very swollen and had purple bruises dotted here and there. She winced when her mother held a bag of ice on it. Jorden knew she was strong, one of the strongest girls he knew. And yet, Jorden knew Jess was someone who would hide all of her emotions behind that face he knew so well and never let them out. Jess was too proud of a person. Jorden had no idea how she could bottle herself up so much like that.
�Jorden? Are you alright?� Mrs. Stonewall asked.
�Hm? Oh, yeah, I�m fine,� Jorden replied.
�You should probably call your parents, to tell them you�re okay.�
�Yeah. I will,� he said. He picked up the phone and called his house and told his mother he was fine and would be home soon.
�Well, it looks like you don�t need me anymore,� the forgotten officer said loudly, making everyone jump. �That is, unless you want me to give you a lift to your place?� he asked Jorden.
�Uh�sure. Thanks.�
�Okay, but first I have to call in to the station. I�ll be right back,� the officer said. He walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
Jess looked at Jorden. She didn�t know what to say, but even if she did there was no way she could talk about what really happened that night. Not in front of her parents. Jess knew that she and Jorden had a mutual understanding that they couldn�t tell anyone about the dragons or the Catalyst Stones. Or even of Etteria. They wouldn�t believe them anyway. No one could believe a story like that�
The crash of broken glass and an agonizing scream came from outside. Everyone jumped and gathered around the window. Outside, the police car sat, it�s windows completely shattered. Mr. Stonewall flung the door open and dashed outside. Jess and Jorden made to follow, but Mrs. Stonewall tried to hold them back. �It could be dangerous! Stay here!�
Jess wrenched herself from her mother�s grip on her arm and hobbled out of the house. The two moved as quickly as they could towards the car. Mr. Stonewall stood there, his skin drained of all color. There, in the driver�s seat, sat the mangled body of the police officer. Bloodstained and broken, as if a giant hand literally squeezed the life out of him. Mrs. Stonewall came up behind them and gasped. On the road, still wet and gleaming, was some sort of symbols written in blood. Jess felt the Catalyst stone warm slightly, and suddenly she could read the words. Jorden felt the same thing, and as the two read, their eyes grew very large.
�'I will find the Stones,'� they whispered together. �'No one can resist my plans'��
�Jorden,� Jess whispered and pulled him away so her parents couldn�t hear, �We are in big trouble��