The Bridge to College

Chapter 15 The Return of the King

It was Leslie who woke Jess up in the middle of the night. Something about some disturbance in the force. Speaking of which he still needed to convince Leslie to watch Star Wars for the first time. Jess made a sort of mumbling noise. It was the dead middle of January and it was as cold as all heck. Anything that wasn't under a thick blanket was frozen.

"Come on Jess get up," Leslie said shaking Jess a little.

No response this time.

"Jess-see," Leslie nagged.

"Gosh you sound like my Mom," Jess groaned sitting up weakly, "What's wrong?"

"There's a disturbance in Terabithia," Leslie said in the same mystic tone she used since she was 11 to talk about Terabithia.

"That's 30 somethin' hours away," Jess said before laying back down.

"No it moved here," Leslie replied, "The Terabithians need their king."

"Less-lie Terabithia isn't real, go back to bed," Jess said. He really stopped believing and doing the whole full blown Terabithia roleplay when he was 15. Leslie still did and Jess usually just came to be with her.

"That isn't something they want to hear their King say," Leslie lectured the sleepy Jess, "Come on it will be fun."

Jess groaned, he knew if he ignored Leslie there will either be hell to pay tomorrow, or she will harass him until he gets up. Jess moves off the bed begrudgingly and grabs his coat, hat, and boots. 

"Leslie is it really necessary," Jess asked, "We have school tomorrow."

"Yes Jess it is," Leslie said grabbing Jess' arm and pulling him to the woods outside of their apartment. The bitter cold snapped Jess awake and he gets the feeling sleep won't come easy for him again. The sky was pure black with only a sliver of the moon showing. A starless night. The wind made the trees howl

"You feel this," Leslie said, "The Dark Master is coming back Jess. I feel it in the trees."
"You know what this does feel different," Jess said.

"There we go Jess the return of the king," Leslie smiled, "I could tell you haven't been into it for years. But now I can feel you returning Jess."

Jess smiled, he too could feel something different. Leslie grabbed a stick and tossed one to Jess.

Rather then pretending it to be a sword, Jess pretended it was a bow to look less geeky. Leslie was swinging around.

"My liege they're too strong," Leslie said, "Should we retreat?"

"Nah we never retreat," Jess said firing off another shot, "Behind you Leslie!"
He pretended to shoot a Squoger from behind Leslie.

"Good shot Jess," Leslie said with a smile, "Look they're retreating."

"Yep," Jess said.

"Don't forget Jess to keep your mind wide open," Leslie said as they walked back in. Jess nodded to what Leslie said. He spends the rest of the night drawing in his pad. Mostly of Leslie. He always enjoyed drawing a portrait of his Queen. It was like old times, once more. Just like it in fact.