BLACKOUT; JR [1]

13.1

Phoebe still had us collecting things, and when we found them, we put them in her basket. Ellen and Mia sat on the couch, confused frowns sewn onto their faces. They watched us for a while, trying to process the information that had been thrown at them minutes earlier. Then, finally, Ellen spoke up. "So, Felix did a magic spell which brought you to our world? But none of you were ever born?"

"I know, it doesn't make any rational sense." Andy noted, slowly crossing the room so he could drop something by Phoebe.

"That sounds pretty crazy." Mia said, not being able to control her confused facial expression. Sam giggled, and the sound seemed a little out of the blue.

"How do you think we know all those things about you?" He quipped, sending her a knowing smile. Mia, once again, look stumped. I could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes, but it still seemed hard for her to accept any conclusions. I tuned them out, turning my attention back to the job I was supposed to be doing. I eyed the jar with deep irritation, because it sat on a shelf two centimetres away from my fingertips. Even on a stool, I still couldn't reach it. I tried again, and much to my disappointment, I hadn't grown any since my first try. There was a throaty chuckle behind me, and I didn't have to look to know who it was.

"Aren't there more important things for you to be doing, Jacob?" I quizzed, sarcasm lacing my words. He laughed again, and I watched him take a step closer to me.

"Probably." He acknowledged, giving me a single nod. The smile stayed on his face, and I wanted to roll my eyes, but that would mean removing my gaze from his face. I didn't want to do that. "I think I'm good right here, though." My eyes tightened, and I extended my leg out to try and kick him, but he was too far away. He was still amused, but a flash of worry danced across his features. "Be careful, I don't want you to fall." He came closer, keeping the stool stationary while I tried to reach for the desired object again. With a lot of strain on my arm, my fingers brushed against the cold glass. I huffed, feeling like the jar was taunting me. "Get down." Jake instructed, gesturing for me to step off with a gentle wave of his hand. I put my hand on his head to steady myself as I climbed down, making sure I ruffled his locks in the process. He laughed again, but this time it was a silent breath through his parted lips. I watched him kneel on the chair, and grab the jar in one swift motion. There was a smug smile on his face when he face me again, and I rolled my eyes. "Here you go, babe." He smirked, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. My jaw seemed to disconnect as it fell open, and the familiar butterflies returned to their new home. I felt my cheeks heat up at the nickname, and I mentally cursed myself. Jake grinned wildly, showing his pearly white teeth. He pushed the jar toward me, and when my hand clasped around the narrow container, our fingers touched. Jake jerked his hand away, and now it was him that looked flustered. I giggled, flicking my hair out of my face.

"Relax, babe." I teased, smirking at his suddenly fidgeting figure. I felt strangely proud at the fact that I could make him blush, it made me happy to see him nervous around me. Before he could say anything else, Ellen's next question had us pulled back into reality, and out of our little paradise.

"Why has Felix been kidnapped by a demon?" She asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. I stared at her, a little dumbfounded at such a direct ask. To be fair, I did miss out on a good chunk of the conversation while Jake and I were messing around, so her question was probably not a shock to those who were actually listening.

"It's a Restoring Demon." Andy informed, strolling back and forth once again. He mindlessly grabbed things from the surface of the desk, passing them to Sam while he made the short trip to Phoebe. "It's meant to restore order, by any means necessary."

"So, if the demon kills Felix, then the magic spell dies with him?" Ellen's face was puzzled, genuinely concerned and eager for the awaited answer. Mia's head instantly snapped to the side, and she eyed her friend with clear shock and disapproval. She nudged her in the ribs, scolding her with the use of her name in a high pitched shriek. Sam stopped in the middle of the room, his feet parted like he was about to take another step. His eyebrows furrowed in slight disbelief, and I could tell he was thinking about it. When he opened his mouth, he exceeded my expectations.

"Does that mean we'd get to go home?" He looked to Phoebe for his answer, still unmoving. She shrugged, then gave a contradictory nod. Sam's face scrunched up in confusion at her peculiar reply, so she felt the rightful need to elaborate.

"Possibly. Or, you might just vanish into nothingness." She explained it like it didn't matter, and there was an amused smile resting on her lips.

"Sam, what are you getting at?" I asked him, tightening my eyes. He met my gaze, pursing his lips.

"Felix tricked and lied to us, Edith." He mentioned, a sour look taking over his facial features. "And he made you into some weird electrical thing."

"Sam, Felix does deserve to be punished." I acknowledged, nodding at him. His face seemed to soften at my words, and maybe the fact that I was stating what he was thinking. "But not by human sacrifice." Sam took an item from the shelf behind him, then gave the object to Phoebe.

"Yeah, I guess so." He said, shrugging weakly. Phoebe then called us all over to the table, urgently ushering everybody over. Jake leaned forward, resting his open palms on the wooden surface.

"So, where is Bates taking Felix?" He asked, searching our faces for any suggestions.

"Restoring Demons are creatures of habit." Phoebe reminded. "Keep that in mind." She didn't say anything more before Andy started to jump up and down on the spot, obviously having an idea of Felix's current whereabouts.

"The forest." He stated, tapping the table eagerly. "That's where the wormhole appeared." Phoebe began to nod vigorously, signalling that he was onto something.

"That's where Alice cast her spell." She added, pointing a harmless finger at Andy.

"And where Roland attacked us!" Jake exclaimed, a grin appearing on his face. I smiled, too, because we finally had a lead. I wanted Felix to be safe, and now that we knew where he was, we had a much higher chance of making that possible.