The Five Realms

Chapter 41: Joey VIII

Chapter 41: Shadows at Firelight

The moon above wasn't Earth's moon, but it could've fooled anyone not looking too closely. It had the same glow, the same craters like pockmarks across a pale face, and the same way of throwing long shadows that made everything feel a little too quiet.

Joey Jackson sat cross-legged by the fire, fidgeting with a twig he'd half-burned earlier, watching it smolder like it might tell him something if he stared long enough. Steven was beside him, legs stretched out, arms tucked behind his head like he was stargazing from his backyard in Jersey.

"You realize," Steven said, breaking the hush, "we'd be cramming for SATs right now if we weren't... y'know, in another dimension."

Joey scoffed, lips twitching into a reluctant grin. "You mean I dodged math homework by getting abducted by dragon souls and thrown into a war?"

"I'm not saying it was worth it—but if I never have to deal with pre-calc again, that's a win." Steven turned his head. "You miss home?"

Joey hesitated. He didn't answer right away. The fire crackled. A few dragon snores hummed like distant thunder.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Sometimes. Mostly at night."

"Your mom?"

Joey nodded, then added, "And the way things made sense. Even when they sucked."

Steven was quiet for a beat, then nudged him lightly with his elbow. "You miss Beanca?"

Joey rolled his eyes and threw a tiny pebble at him. "She terrifies me in a good way. Happy?"

Steven snorted. "Very."

Joey smiled, but it didn't stick. It slipped off his face like water off glass. He looked up again, this time trying to trace a constellation he didn't recognize. It felt like lying to his eyes—shapes that should've been Orion or the Big Dipper bent into unfamiliar patterns.

"She looked at me different today," Joey murmured.

Steven cocked a brow. "Beanca?"

"Yeah. After the fire thing. After everything. Like she doesn't know if she should yell or hug me."

"You didn't exactly tell her you were lava-proof," Steven said gently. "Or your sister."

"I didn't know how. At first, it was just this weird thing my dad told me. Then... it got too far to explain. Like I missed the window, and now it's just this giant secret that makes me the freak again."

Steven was quiet, letting the words hang.

Joey ran a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I think it's easier not to tell people. Then maybe they'll still look at me like I'm mostly normal."

"You're not normal, bro," Steven said with a dry laugh. "None of us are. You ride a dragon. You glow when you're mad. You got zapped by Eragon and lived."

Joey blinked at him. "You're bad at pep talks."

Steven grinned. "I'm great at honesty, though."

The silence returned—not awkward, just... still. Joey poked the fire again. A burst of orange light flared, then fell back into embers.

His thoughts circled back—Beanca's hurt face, Chyna's trembling voice after he'd come out of the lava, even the way Eragon had looked at him after the psychic probe failed: not confused—concerned.

What am I?

The fire snapped sharply, a little too loud in the quiet. Joey flinched. Not because of the noise—but because he hadn't realized how hard he was gripping the stick.