Nicole's companions glared at her wondering why they found her such an irritation. She had never been before. Now, in the middle of the forest, she came across as an annoyance. Knocking at the door, Nicole stepped back, hoping whoever was inside would not necessitate her using the sword on her belt. As the door opened, a face appeared, one Nicole instantly recognised. "Jake? Why are you here?"
"He's here because he's part of this world," Robin said. "He works for the wizard."
"That is correct," Jake replied. "Come in, it's getting cold with the door open."
The three entered the cottage, moving towards the glowing fire, glad to be inside in the warmth. "What's the deal with you and this wizard?" Jeremy asked, noticing Robin looking at him. "What?"
"You're not bleating. Say baa, baa, black sheep."
"Why?"
"Oh nothing. Nicole, I don't hate you."
"It doesn't matter. It was the forest."
"That's right. The forest of whatever it's called. I just had the urge to say mean things to you. I didn't want to, but I couldn't help myself."
"I know," Nicole replied, not convinced.
"When have I ever said anything that hurtful to you?" Robin pressed.
"Never."
"Welcome, welcome, one and all," Jake interrupted. "Yes, the Forest of Foreboding is not a pleasant experience. I'm afraid when you leave here you will encounter its effects once more. However, this time you will understand what it is doing to you. Who would like apple pie?"
Robin's hand shot up. "Me, me, with cream."
"Remember what we said outside," Jeremy cautioned. "Nothing until we're sure."
"But, it's apple pie. With cream, tell me you have cream."
"The best," Jake said. "One slice, what's the harm in one slice?"
"If I was still outside," Robin replied, "I'd probably tell you. However, I'm inside and that pie needs to be inside me."
Jeremy pulled Robin to one side. "This could be a trick. I'd prefer it if you didn't eat a slice."
"And, I'd prefer it if I did. Look, how about I try it and if anything happens to me, you know not to eat it."
"Too much of a risk."
"I'm prepared to take one for the team. Jake, a slice of your finest pie please."
Nicole shook her head, still upset her friends turned on her, saying things that stabbed at her heart. She wasn't usually this sensitive, but having revealed her deepest fear in front of those she trusted it felt like a bigger betrayal. It was as though the forest knew exactly how to wound her at a depth from which she wasn't sure she could recover.
Jeremy approached holding up his hands. "I can't stop him. Once he gets something in his head."
"Robin," Nicole snapped. "Don't eat the pie. Look, I'll use one of my wishes if necessary. If you're that hungry."
Robin smiled. "No, you need those. Jake's okay, he wouldn't do anything to harm us. Would you Jake?"
Jake shook his head. "I wouldn't. There's no harm in trying. Why don't you all sit down and I'll cut each of you a slice."
"No," Nicole said, more forcefully than she intended. "We do not eat anything."
Jake shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just one slice then. Robin, pull up a chair, let me go get the cream."
Robin sat himself at the table. "I know you're still mad at me for what I said. But, I trust this guy. I mean, we're only just beginning this quest. Relax."
"Fine," Nicole said. "Have a slice, we'll watch."
Jake returned with a large slice of pie and a spoonful of thick cream on top, Nicole and Jeremy looking at it enviously, their mouths beginning to water. "Are you certain I can't tempt you?" he said, placing the serving in front of Robin.
Nicole looked at Jeremy. "What do you think? It looks really good and smells delicious."
"Nicole, what's your priority here? Dessert, or the dancer."
"Right now, dessert. I'll have a slice too," she said before she could stop herself.
Jake winked. "Coming right up. I'm guessing cream too."
Nicole nodded, taking a seat beside Robin, eagerly awaiting her slice.
"Seriously," Jeremy said. "You two are seriously going to eat this."
Robin had already started on his, half already gone when his spoon fell from his hand, a glazed look in his eyes. "So tired, so, so tired. I think I'll close my eyes for a moment."
With that he fell face first into his dessert, snoring loudly. Jake placed Nicole's portion of pie in front of her. "Eat up, or it'll get cold."
Whatever spell she was under she failed to notice the effects of the pie on Robin, lifting her spoon containing a large chunk of pie on it. "Smells so good. I didn't think I was this hungry."
It was almost to her lips when Jeremy's hand swiped it away, sending the spoon and its contents flying along with the plate with the remaining pie. "Nicole, snap out of it. Look at Robin."
Nicole looked at Robin peacefully asleep in his pie, leaping from the table, wondering how she ended up almost giving in to the temptation. "Robin, Robin, wake up. No, no, no." Shaking her friend it was no use. "He's out cold. What did you do to him?"
"Your friend is fine," Jake replied. "Simply asleep for a few hours. What a pity you couldn't join him."
"And, miss the deadline for rescuing Waverly. That's unfair."
"Is it?" Jake asked. "Choices. Each one of you has choices. Your wise friend chose not to partake."
"You tricked us. We'll never make it," Nicole yelled. "Robin, you need to wake up."
"It's no use," Jeremy said. "This is our first test and we failed it. We'll have to leave him here."
Nicole began to panic. "We can't. What if we don't make it? What if we get stuck, he'll not know where we are."
"Choices," Jake repeated. "What will it be? Stay with your friend, or set the dancer free."
"Don't you start rhyming words at me," Nicole snapped. "I'm stressed enough without you doing that."
Jeremy took Nicole's arm. "Let's think this through calmly. We need to rescue Waverly in order to leave here. Robin is asleep so he won't know we're gone. We have a small window of opportunity. So, I figure we go get the girl, bring her back here, pick Robin up on our way out."
"I feel bad leaving him here."
"It was Robin's choice to eat the pie," Jeremy emphasised. "You tried to stop him, but he went ahead. So, we either sit here for the next however many hours waiting for him to wake up, fail to rescue Waverly and live a life rhyming everything in Riddle Me Do."
"Okay, when you put it like that, we have no choice."
"You could always have some pie," Jake offered, Nicole and Jeremy glaring at him. "Suit yourself. You will need to move quickly. The time you have left is but a slice, the wizard's grip is like a vice."
Nicole glared at Jake. "You are the one who got me into this mess. Enough with the stupid rhymes. What do need to do next?"
"Three items you will need, if you are ever to succeed."
"I'm warning you, just tell us, or I'll stuff a piece of pie so far up..."
"Nicole!" Jeremy interrupted. "Jake, what three items?"
"A white rose from the giant's garden. A magic flute from the lamenting lake. And, the slipper from the magic mirror."
"And, we have how long?" Jeremy asked.
"Three hours."
"Great. Just great," Nicole said, rolling her eyes. "So, basically we collect items from places that don't sound particularly inviting. Oh, and make our way to the enchanted forest, find a castle, rescue Waverly, get back here and find the exit. It's impossible. You want us to fail. That's it. That's why no one has succeeded before. It's rigged."
Jake shook his head. "Time works differently here. Enough to succeed if your heart is true, never enough if you're feeling blue."
Nicole picked up a jug from the table hurling it at Jake's head. "I warned you."
Jake ducked. "You chose to come on this quest, Nicole Rayleigh Haught. You are here because of what this means to you. What Waverly will mean to you. You could have walked away. You didn't. So, here you are. What do you do?"
"Personally, I'm about ready to walk away from all this," she replied. "No one is worth all this. That's it. I quit."
Jake laughed. "Like you always do."
Nicole scoured the table for something else to throw at Jake's head. "I'm not a quitter. I've never been a quitter."
"Is that so?" Jake countered. "Junior league baseball. The lead part in your high school play. Shae. Should I go on?"
"That's not fair," Nicole whispered, shocked at how Jake seemed to know all the moments she herself considered were when she quit, when she didn't fight for what she really wanted.
Jake pointed to a large clock above the fireplace. "Tick tock, tick tock, you'll need to watch the clock."
Leaving Robin to sleep off the effects of his indulgence, Nicole and Jeremy headed outside, Jeremy waiting until they were a little way from the cottage. "I might start bleating, but what was that all about?"
"I don't know," Nicole replied. "It's as if someone is sucking out my worst fears and throwing them back at me. How did Jake know about me freezing when I auditioned for that play?"
"I'm guessing it's magic," Jeremy replied. "We have to be careful from now...baa."
Nicole giggled. "It's actually fun you being a sheep."
"You know that's really...baa. We need to...baa. I'm so...baa."
"Just nod till we get out of here," Nicole suggested. "I'm too fragile right now to take another attack, and you're too sheepish."
Jake told them the map would provide all the clues as to where to find the three items necessary to rescue Waverly. Reaching the edge of the forest before them lay a wide open plain marked only on the map as an expanse. Nicole held the lantern over their only means of navigating this world, the pair watching as it adjusted before their eyes, new places marked, a new path to follow. "Figures," Jeremy said. "They're not going to give us everything in one...baa."
"Right. Look, there. An arrow to the giant's garden. Guess that's where we're headed next."
"There's no way of telling how far that is," Jeremy remarked. "It could take us all our time to get there. Think, think. We need transport. We need something that will get us to each location faster than our legs."
"I have two wishes, remember. I think you're right. And Waverly did say use them only to aid our journey. But what?"
Jeremy considered the options. "Honestly, I don't know what's best. A horse perhaps. A carriage and horse, but will that be quick enough? Oh wait, what about..."
"A flying carpet," Nicole said, before she even knew why. "Quick, rolls up."
"Precisely. Will it be..."
"Quick enough. Oooh, I'm having the same..."
"Thoughts as you...this is..."
"Weird...and, we're finishing each other's..."
"Sentences. I hate this..."
"Place...let's get out of..."
"Here. I wish I had a magic..."
"Carpet," Jeremy said, the companions hearing a whooshing sound through the trees. "That's so..."
"Cool. Right, hop..."
"On. The giant's..."
"Garden."
The flying carpet swept them up into the air, the companions holding on for dear life, not quite sure how to stay on such an item, or how it actually worked. It didn't matter. As long as they both arrived at their designated destination, both still on the carpet that was all that concerned them in the moment. Gone were the worries from their real lives. Gone were the petty inconveniences they assumed were larger than they really were.