Chapter3: Worthy?

Jen jumped out of her bed and opened her closet. She pushed her hanging clothes to the side to reveal a large symbol etched in the wall. The lines were glowing yellow. She slammed the closet door. 
“I'm going for a jog!” she yelled. She grabbed a band from her dresser and put her hair into a low ponytail. She walked over to and sat on her bed. She pulled a pair of black spray-painted running shoes out from under the bed and quickly put them on. Her dad opened the door.
“What about dinner?” he asked.
“Not hungry, I'll make myself something later,” Jen replied.
“If that's what you want. I'm gonna' run out to the store, I'll get some lunchmeat so you can make a sandwich,” he said as he left. Jen pushed her door closed, he always left it open. She opened her closet again, the symbol had stopped glowing. She took a medallion from a pocket in her jeans and placed it in a small circle in the center of the symbol. She backed out of the closet and closed it. After locking the door, he jogged out of the house.
Jen jogged three laps around the house, then turned down another street. She soon arrived at a small pond. She would always go there when the symbol in her closet lit up. She had discovered the pond when she was little. She was about ten and she decided she would go for a walk to explore the town. It got dark and she got lost. She continued walking until she saw something strange, a swarm of fireflies hovering around the pond, their lights were a bright yellow. The only thing she could remember after that was waking up in her bedroom, seeing a glow from her closet, and finding the symbol in her closet with the medallion in it.
This time there were no fireflies, but man wearing a bright yellow hooded robe leaning against a tree. Jen didn't think anyone else knew about the pond. The man watched as she walked over and crouched to look at the water. She saw that the bottom was glossy and black. She dipped her hands in and sipped from the clear water she brought out. She took her shoes off and dipped a toe in, the water was warm, welcoming. She drew a breath, took a step, and plunged downward into the pond. The man did nothing, only watched. After about a minute, she resurfaced, took a breath, and again went under. The man dove in and stood on the glossy bottom. He waved Jen over. She swam down and floated next to him, struggling to stay down. He pointed at her feet, then at the bottom. With a little extra effort, she was able to plant both feet. She was surprised to find that she could stand as if she were on land and that she didn't need to breathe.
The man motioned for her to follow and began running. She hesitated, then ran after him. She was faster here, and she wasn't getting tired. She felt her chest for a heartbeat, it wasn't there. Jen was a little concerned, she decided to talk to the man about it whenever they reached their destination, because she didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. She realized she could think faster too, then she remembered what happened when she first discovered the pond.
After seeing the yellow fireflies, she tried to catch one and slipped in. She had no breath and couldn't hold the state for too long. Someone grabbed her ankle from below and puller her down. She couldn't see anything and tried to break free of the hands grasp. She was dragged all the way to the bottom and held on her back. She struggled more now as a hand was clasped tightly over her mouth. When she finally gave up, she realized she was okay, she didn't need air and she could see. The man that had grabbed her ankle smiled and released her. He pointed at a spot on the ground next to her. She memorized the symbol and took a medallion from it, there were now six medallions and enough spaces for total of nine. She inexplicably knew what the man wanted her to do. She pushed off the ground and quickly reached the surface. When she arrived home, she carved the symbol in her closet and put the medallion in it. There was a bright flash, then she felt tired and went to bed.
Jen remembered this clearly now as she followed the hooded man. He suddenly stopped and turned around, she almost ran into him.
“Child, can you see this doorway? If not, you must turn back,” he said with a stern expression. She looked past him and saw an open door with a room full of clutter behind it.
“Yes, I can see it. Where are we?” she ask. She was seventeen and he still called her a child. He turned towards the door and stood with his back to her for a minute.
“Come in and take a seat, then I'll tell you.” he began walking. She hesitated again, then followed.
The room was completely gray, the only color in the room was Jen and the man. He sat in a chair and she sat in the chair across from it. They sat in silence, staring into each others' eyes.
“This is the waiting room,” the man finally said. He was slightly amused by the further confusion he incited. “This room decides if you're fit to see the truth,” he smirked.
“What do you mean?” she took another look around the room, nothing was changing.
“The black ground we were just on is the border between this world and the truth. I wouldn't expect you to understand right away. I've watched nature continue for a long time, and I can't say I'm happy with the direction it's been going in. Well, it's time for me to go. If you're accepted, I'll find you. Check your pockets,” he said as he stood up and looked down at Jen. This was the first time she got a good look at his face, it was the same man that pulled her down when she was ten. Without another word, he slowly sank into the floor as she watched. Once he was completely gone, she checked her pockets and found her medallion. She was warm and the medallion was cold, she placed it on the table in front of her. It started glowing red, as if it was hot. Then, it melted through the table and froze when it hit the floor

Reviews

[Dragon]

Whoa. I really think this is cool. Your story has the reader so into it that they might want to read it again for good measure. I love your story and how you put this. The characters as so interesting and I love how you make each one move. Awesome stuff. :)