Chapter Two

Jade reveals there is more to this journey then she leads on�

“Damn it…Where the hell are they?" Jade grumbled quietly to herself as she stood outside the school.   Fifteen minutes has past since the final bell rang through the school halls, and there was still no sign of Tygra and Star.
She looked around, seeing the occasional student walking past, avoiding her gaze. Jade wasn‘t very well liked around the school and she was fine with that. There was something she had to accomplish, and she wouldn‘t be able to do so if she were followed by any of these students. Only Star and Tygra were needed; with their family history, Jade could accomplish everything she needed to do.
She sighed again when she found no sign of the two girls. There was nothing to be seen, nor heard beyond the school’s boarder. With her bloodline she was able to pinpoint the girls’ location in an instant. As she turned back to the school, she grumbled slightly to herself as she sensed the two still within the building. With a shake of her head, Jade made her way back into the school. She’d get them to hurry up, one way or another.

                  *      *      *

After the final class had ended and the bell had sung its last song for the evening, the two girls had decided to make a quick stop at Star's locker before going outside to meet with Jade. Well it was more Star wanting to grab a few things for the journey just in case something would happen. She was always worried about the ‘just in case’ scenarios that may occur and always had since anyone could remember.
Now, she was hunched over, ripping through all of her books and papers for supplies she may need for the ‘just in case’, while Tygra had propped herself up against the next locker, giving nervous glances around the hall. There was nobody around, but she just couldn’t stop herself from taking a look around.
She then looked back down to Star, nibbling on her thumbnail as she spoke. "You know, if you don't hurry up, Jade is going to flip." She said anxiously, taking another quick look around the hall.
Star looked up from her locker, giving Tygra a peculiar smile. “You worry way too much. You know that, don't you?”
"Look who‘s talking…” Tygra said rolling her eyes, “but you know yourself that she's been edgy lately. She’s always looking up at the sky with this dazed looked on her face…" Tygra stated uneasily. "She even threw someone across the room, just because he looked over at her!"
"Don't remind me. I was there. There's still a dent in the wall where he hit!" Star winced after recalling what had happened as she shuffled through some more papers.   "Poor guy. Luckily, he's a werewolf, so he'll heal fast. It seemed all I had to do was put his arm in a cast."
Tygra shook her head, letting her hand fall to her side. “Why do you do that?”
She glanced up at her with a puzzled expression. “Do what?”
“You know. You don’t use your healing when you know you are more then capable. Why do you insist on doing things the old fashion way all the time?”
Star looked back inside her locker. “If I don’t need to use them, I don’t. That’s just how it is.” She looked back up to her; a slight frown could be seen. “I may have the best grades but that is nothing compared to real life. You yourself know that if I would heal somebody when I’m upset, it could end horribly.”
“Yeah, you’re right…but, I think you should give yourself some more credit. You are a great healer.”
Star blushed slightly at her comment. “Anyway, I wonder what is getting under Jade’s skin lately.” She laughed slightly to herself as she pulled a brown knapsack from her locker. "Maybe she's hiding something and it's driving her nuts!" She exclaimed as she stood to her feet, swinging the bag around her shoulder carefully.
Tygra looked to her a broad smile crossing over her features. "You must have forgotten, Star! She already is!"
The two girls laughed at Tygra’s little joke about Jade as Star closed her locker door shut. They both stopped their laughter quite abruptly when they saw Jade leaning against the next locker, a strange smile was already set on her face.
She pushed herself off the locker and walked out before them, her smile slowly leaving her face. Yet, she didn‘t seem angry as she looked to them with a sweet demeanor. "It's about time you two! I've been waiting for such a long time!" She said, her voice no longer its normal, hard tone, but that of a mother who was comforting her child after a grave nightmare.
Right now, Star and Tygra felt as if they were in the middle of one as they stayed where they were, stunned by her sudden appearance. They couldn’t understand how she came up to the next locker, and just stood there without either of them noticing her.
"I've been thinking, and I don't see why there is any reason for me to hide the real reason on going to Drake's Tower." Jade gave them a mischievous smile which sent chills down their spines. “After all, there’s no sense on waiting to tell you, considering there’s always the possibility of one of you not making it back…”
"What are you talking about, real reason?" Asked Star, puzzled.
“And what do you mean, not making it?” Tygra asked just as confused as Star.
"I‘ve changed my mind.” Jade said, as she walked down the hall passed them, the soft tone no longer in her voice.   “I’ll tell you when I feel like it."
"What was that all about?" Star asked, watching after Jade as she continued down the hallway.
"Well, I guess the only way to find out is to follow her." She looked back to Star giving her a reassuring smile. “Come on, you know Jade. She’s probably just trying to scare us.” She said before quickly running after Jade, her once overwhelming anxiety vanishing within seconds.
“Yeah, your right.” Star said quietly as she followed her two friends before she stopped in mid-step.
As she watched them walk away from her, Star realized something she had never really thought about before. Who was Jade? Of course the two of them spoke to one another and even hung out with each from time to time; they even lived in the same house…but she didn’t really know anything about her. Now that she thought about it, Jade hadn’t once talked about her past with either of the girls.
And what was this about one of them not being able to make it? Was this trip to the topside Jade wanted them to go on really that dangerous? Could that sorcerer, Drake, really be that dangerous? There were a few rumors going around, but she never thought of actually considering them. What was Jade really getting them into? Could she even trust her?
She shook her head slightly as she saw Tygra waving back to her. “What are you doing? Come on!”
“I-I’m coming!” She stammered before she quickly followed after them. Oh well, she sighed, I guess if Tygra can trust her, so can I…I just really hope this isn’t going to turn out bad…