"You're not coming back for two days", Hope complained.

"I thought you would be glad to get rid off me".

Hope sighed, "Normally", she stayed seated at the guest houses table, "I'm going to kill someone".

"Try not to please", I pinned up the bag that I was packing, "We've only been here for a week".

Hope threw her head back, "I'm so bored here. It's like everything is perfect and I hate it".

I put the sword they had given me in my holster, "Why don't you read or paint?"

"Paints are expensive, and I haven't seen any", Hope shrugged, "and there's nothing good to read, it's all hero saves this and hero saves that".

"Don't they have a library", I suggested.

"If you count the church", she said.

"What about that bible you stole from the church. See how biased the town really is", I said grabbing the bag, indicating that I have to leave.

Her eyes lit up, "Oh wait Jordan, I found something in my backpack that might help", she got up from the seat and bolted up the stairs.

She walked back down, taking two steps at a time. She unzipped her pink backpack and got out a brown leather cover journal.

"It's hex's", she said giving me a partial smile. She lifted up the journal and held it by my face, "he would want someone as smart as you to have it".

I was hesitant as first, but then the excitement kicked in and I wanted see what that man had thought up as soon as possible.

I flipped open the page that was stained yellow and smelled like dust. I was more impressed about what was written in the pages.

Thousand and thousands of thin pages that were filled to edge and edge of types of machines, weapons, and just groundbreaking thoughts of all types of kinds.

"I was surprised when Nade gave you the glass sword. I thought he would keep it for himself", Hope pointed to the middle of the journal, "page 133 has the glass sword on it, you can make it again, it shouldn't be that hard".

I stayed silent, still flipping through page after page.

"You could make me a new bow too. If you wanted", Hope continued.

"Aha", I slid the journal in my pocket, "I see there's a method to the madness".

Hope blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"You okay kid?", I asked.

I was caught up in a hug and heard some sniffling from Hope's head on my shoulder.

"It's only two days", I answered. "It's not like I'm going to be gone forever".

"Your so damn short", Hope muffled.

"Thanks"

"Look at this tree", Tom pointed to a lone tree in the middle of a field not far off from the town, "It's bloody humongous".

"And the tree is so important because-", I motioned him to go on with his story.

I was about tired of not having an escape from Tom.

He held up his hand, "watch". He knocked on the bark of the tree.

"Okay its hollow", Hope crossed her arms, "so-"

"So", Tom faced the tree, "I'm going to live in it".

Tucker sighed, "why do you want to live in a tree".

"Because I'm not owing that damn town anything", he continued, "now help me brake open this tree".

None of us moved.

"Cmon Tucker, my pal", Tom begged. "Sonja-"

I nodded my head no.

"Hope, you hate the place as much as me", Tom continued.

"I hate the prince. The towns just boring", she sighed.

"Ugh", I groaned, "Hope what did the prince do to you".

"He's out to get me", she shouted, "and I know it!"

"Your all paranoid!", Tucker waved them away, "if you get a good idea how to open the tree, then we will help you".

"Okay Tucker I need you to buy me an ax", Tom tipped his head, "They didn't trust me with one".

"Tom I don't have money", Tom threw a bunch of gold coins at Tucker, shutting him up.

"Buy me an ax!", Tom screamed so loud that the whole town could probably hear. He started chanting it over and over.

"Wha-what the", Tucker stammered, "where did you get these".

Tom turned from his shouting, "stole them from Jordan".

Tom continued to chant and shout.

"Does he have enough to get us new weapons?" Tucker questioned.

Tom didn't answer and continued to chant more.

"Sonja can you come with me to buy the child his axe", Tucker asked.

"Of course", I said.

Tucker pointed to Hope, "watch him!".

"No promises", she mumbled, sitting on the grass and slumping her shoulders.

So we headed to one of the hardware stores in town to buy him an axe so he wouldn't have to stay in the town anymore.

"Sure it's kinda creepy here", I vented, "but can't he suck it up until we find a way home".

"Tucker maybe it's a good thing that he's not in the town, destroying everything" Sonja suggested.

I thought about it as we walked silently. She was probably right. The best thing for the town and our team was if Tom and the kingdom stayed separate.

"What do you think Hope means by that the prince hates her?", Sonja asked. "Because the prince definitely doesn't hate her if your catching my drift".

I laughed, "I can't tell who's being more paranoid. You or Hope".

"What", Sonja glared at me, trying to hold back a smile at the same time, "Don't you see the way he looks at her and Hope did grow up to be very pretty".

"You need to calm down", I said. "It is none of our business what goes on in Hopes love life-"

"It is if she's to oblivious to notice anything".

I shook my head.

"Here and don't bring up anything in the store", I opened the door for her,"I'm not getting jailed because your spreading rumors".

We walked into the hardware store, searching our way through isle of paint and hardware tools stacked on shelves unevenly.

"This is probably the strangest place I've ever been", Sonja whispered behind me.

We had to even step over some plotted saplings to get to the counter.

"Hi", Sonja said, almost tripping over one of the potted plants.

The man who seemed to be around his forties with brown hair that was thinning got up from under the counter.

"What can I help you with?", he asked.

I peeked around his balding head to see the axes, pinned up right behind him.

"I need a-"

"I got the hardest and best wood in the town", The hardware salesman interrupted.

Sonja blinked looking as if she was in a daze, not really knowing how to respond.

"Excuse me!-", I let out.

"Red wood, silver wood, oak, spruce", The Salesman continued to talk. The predicament seemed to make more sense.

I slammed the coins on the counter, "Just get the ax, okay".

The salesman lifted an eyebrow at me, "You wouldn't be with that drunk man in the green mask, would you?"

Sonja shook her head no, "of course not".

"ALRIGHTY THEN!", the man screamed, grabbing an ax from behind him and then handed it to Sonja, "have a nice day", he grabbed the coins off of the counter and put it in his pocket.

I quickly walked out of the store with Sonja in hand.

"He was charming", Sonja let out as I dragged her back to where Tom and Hope we're.

"He was horrifying"

Hope was sitting in the grass, looking very bored, popping the heads off of daisies.

I was still chanting for my ax.

I was very proud of my plan. When the clerk wouldn't give me an ax I was fuming. That was racism at best! Just because I'm a Dianite means anytime I'm going to buy a weapon I'm going to kill small children.

Look dangerous! Pfft, absurd.

"I want an ax!", I continued to shout. "I want an-!"

"TOM SHUT UP!", Hope screamed, cutting me off of my beautiful chanting.

"What", I turned around to glare at her, by Sonja and Tucker were back with my ax.

"Oh", I reached over. "Hand it to me".

Tucker gave it over without any argument or 'Tom don't hurt anything". I was shocked.

"Your welcome", Tucker said, bitterly.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to my tree.

I lifted the ax up and slammed the blade into the tree, starting to chip some bark off. The again, and again, until I had a patch open.

Hope stood up, now interested enough to come help.

Everyone started to pitch in as we ripped the bark off of the part of the tree I wanted as my door.

And Jordan says we need team building exercise.

Tucker grabbed the ax and chopped into the more thick part of the tree under the bark.

"Are you sure it's hollow", he asked after his nineteenth swing, "because I'm getting no where".

"Hand it over", Sonja said.

Tucker gave the ax over to his girlfriend.

She grunted and slammed it into the tree. It didn't do anything.

"Wow Sonja", I started up, "you suck-"

She slammed the ax into the tree trunk with a loud battle cry, scaring all of us to death.

"Don't fucking sass me", she smiled at me out of breath.

I grabbed for the ax's handle and pulled it back towards me. Nothing would budge.

"God damn it Sonja!", I yelled. Sonja backed up having a surprised look on her face, "You got the bloody ax stuck".

"Oh no", Hope let out sarcastically, "looks like you can't live here-"

I started glaring at her, still trying to get the ax out of my home.

"-what a shame"

Hope shrugged and turned back to the town.

"No you little shit", I continued to struggle with the ax.

Hope was still walking away.

I ran after her, "we had a deal!"

A slash of metal flung by my face.

I turned my head to look at Hope who was stood quietly, frozen, and fuming. The ax was laying by her feet. The blade was blunted down where it wouldn't have hurt if it had touched Hope anyway.

She whipped around with her bow and arrow in hand. I almost thought she was going to shoot me.

I lifted up my hands in defense, "I swear it wasn't me-"

Hope shushed me. Her eyes lit up in the curiosity sort of way that they do. "I hear something".

I moved away from the tree.

Sonja's cut in the tree had left an opening. I peered in and saw blackness.

"I don't see-"

I ducked from the opening as a light cast in the dark tree.

The tree blew open with a big ear ringing bang. Everyone except me got out of the way. Splinters of wood rained down on the meadow grass. I heard some hissing from behind me.

I stood up and stared face first at a person with grey skin and dilated milky white eyes.

"Tom", I heard Hope's bowstring go back, "we need you to move back slowly", Sonja commanded as calmly as possible.

I stepped back as the creature started to growl at me.

More backed him up. I could see now that they had charcoal cloaks on and that was it.

"You got your buddies with you", I smirked and reached for my daggers. "So do I". I grabbed my dagger. Adrenaline started to race through my body as I felt my hand on the cold metal.

The creature raced at me only to be stopped by one of Hope's arrows.

The next one pounced on top of me. I pushed my dagger through its ruff skin that was almost as thick as pigs. The dead body rolled off of me before I got purple blood that was oozing out of the wound all over me.

I stood up right before one of Sonja's knives whizzed by my head hitting another creature through the head.

My breath calmed as I saw the numbers of the creatures dwindle down. Hope aimed another arrow at one of the last few creatures.

I sighed and turned to look at Wags tower, that I had a great view from my tree.

He was waving down at us.

I waved back.

Then I realized that his waving was more sporadic than normal.

He tried to shout something too us that I couldn't hear.

"What", I shouted back to him.

He shouted again, but I still couldn't hear.

I turned back around shrugging. I realized what he was shouting about. There was thousand of those creatures that had just appeared out thin air.

They were completely silent. I didn't hear the creatures before I had noticed them. I tuned in the clamber of my team mates fighting the downhill battle.

I turned back around to Wags tower a little shocked over the situation.

Wag was running down the hill to the kingdom.

I ducked and dodged to the right away from another creature. I stabbed the creature in the back with my dagger and wiped the blood off on my black pants.

Everything was a rush of blood, charcoal, and energy. Breath wasn't staying steady like I had always trained myself too, I could almost hear everybody else's heart beating fast after the mass freak out.

Wagglington ran out. None of the creatures were paying attention to him.

He had a bag at his side that he was reaching into as he ran towards us.

He had a crystal globe in his hand, that was only about the size of my palm. He through it to the ground.

"Take cover", he yelled to us.

We all simultaneously landed on the ground, more thinking on instinct.

Whatever went through the air had a blue and green glow to it, and smelled like burnt sugar, but more bitter.

I heard bodies crash to the grass, as the cloaks slowly fell after the bodies, rippling against the air.

Hope was the first one to lift her head out of curiosity.

"There gone", she let out in a whisper.

I looked up, still sitting on the grass that was clean from all evidence that there was even a fight.

"What was that?", Sonja asked Wag.

Wagglington shrugged, "I have no idea. I just made it".

I walked up the hill alone heading back to the house.

I was finally going to see what was in that bible. Everytime I would touch the book it would give me the creeps. Of course that's usually an open invitation for me, but this time I felt uninvited. The whole area made me feel placed out.

Before I did anything I had to grab my backpack from my hiding spot.

I was so happy that the backpack had fallen. Of course it would have been great if I had my moars or my bow, but I had my stuffed animal. I also had my pink blanket and more importantly the diamond bracelet that I have had ever since my parents got rid of me.

I never wore it just incase someone would want to steal it and I never talked about just incase one day it got so bad that the peer pressure would be too much and I would sell it.

I moved the rock out from the little cubby I had dug in the ground.

All the color must have ran from my face because my backpack was gone and the pain that was building up was the most awful feeling in the world.

I panicked digging up the dirt at the bottom of the hole, making my hands even more of a mess. I looked around the ground perimeter and still saw nothing.

I whipped my head that felt ten times heavier and saw it.

That little bastared walking off with my backpack.

I told Sonja that I want paranoid. The prince was put to get me.

He was slouching horribly, and wasn't looking up. I couldn't tell if he was looking through my belongings or not but either way I was going to slit his throat.

"HEY!", i screamed so loud that my voice almost got horse.

He continued to walk back to the kingdom, now going over the bridge.

THAT TEARS IT!

I bolted so fast I swear I had my speed more on.

He was still in my peripheral vision. As I was sprinted down the hill with pure vengeance in my heart, I made sure I knew exactly where his next move was.

He was now across the bridge and I was only down the hill and not even close to the farm.

Dammit.

I was now in my way to the town still running so fast that I spooked most of the happy children in the road.

I saw them prince a few streets up, still with my backpack.

"Hey!", I screamed again, bolting through the town.

Venders moved their carts out of the way. I still didn't understand how the prince couldn't know I was after him. He had to know.

I jumped off of a very thick fence post in an old ladies garden on top of the homes roof that was severely close to ground level.

I was now sprinting on top of roof building with the prince in sight.

I could hear the chefs in the neighboring restaurant swear as I went over there establishment.

I saw the prince right under the building under me, he was talking to a fisherman or something like that.

I jumped off of the roof, probably as least gracefully as humanly possible, but I was getting my backpack back if it was the last thing I did.

I screamed landing on top of the prince. He landed with a gasp of air. I think I knocked the life out of him.

I pinned his arms down on the stone path that lead into the building.

Prince Andors blue eyes were outstretched and looked about as horrified as a puppy during a thunder storm.

His eyes also were very lost, and big, and bright. He almost had a wispy sort of daze covered deep down inside them. Why were they so interesting-.

I saw my backpack at the side of my vision.

I grabbed it from the side of the road bad started going through it. My blanket, my stuffed animal. The bible was still tucked away through there. I let out a sigh of relief as I picked up the diamond bracelet a felt the gold metal in my hand.

I got up leaving the prince to the ground.

I heard him get up behind me with a small ow that he whispered quiet enough that I was pretty sure he didn't want me to hear him.

"Sorry", he let out in the clear and soft voice. The one that almost made me feel guilty.

To bad for him my heart is made of stone and vines!

I rolled my eyes at his pitiful excuse.