In Between

Chapter Four: Through the Portal

The next morning, Kieran woke up in a bit of a daze. He was in love. Or at least, he was pretty sure he was, and he thought that maybe Jasmine was in love with him too. The idea was extremely enticing. What did two people do when they were in love? Well, there were a lot of things; they went places together and bought each other things; they cuddled, and held hands, and eventually got married. Kieran found himself picturing Jasmine in a long, white dress with her face a little more mature as it would be in a few years.

He was happy. I should've gone into the Dark Forest years ago, he thought to himself. That must be why Jasmine was suddenly so enthusiastic about him. They hadn't had many opportunities for interaction ever since their fathers had both received promotions a few years back, and their families simply hadn't had as much time to socialize. Kieran was used to these limited encounters, usually only seeing her pass by in a carriage or browsing in his mother's herb and medicine shop. He would always smile at her, and she would smile back—it seemed casual and polite, but sometimes Kieran got the impression that Jasmine regretted how little time they spent together. And last night...

Kieran thought back to the way she'd looked at him. He was still holding the image in his mind as he ran downstairs and into the kitchen where his father was sitting at the table eating scrambled eggs and reading work-related manual. He looked up when his son entered the room, and they were both smiling which led Kieran to believe that he was forgiven for yesterday's events.

"Good morning!" he said brightly, helping himself to the extra eggs in the pan.

"What are you so happy about?" Kieran's father asked, winking conspiratorially.

"No school today."

"Hmm. So what are you planning that's put you in such a good mood?"

"I'm heading over to the Farmer's Forest to work on the Stronghold with Draven. The floorboards need to be reinforced and a section of the back wall is molding," Kieran told him. This was a lie, though—he and Draven would never let the Stronghold reach such a condition. He'd thought up this excuse well before he'd come downstairs, hoping that his father would trust him to go where he said he was going.

"Well, that sounds terribly important. You'd better catch Lyon before he goes to the market to get your mother some more eggs," Mr. Dalhart suggested.

"I wonder how she's out of them," Kieran said sarcastically as he and his father finished the ones on their plates. "Maybe I'll walk today," he added calmly, pausing in case his father asserted that it wasn't a good idea to be going off alone after yesterday's antics.

"Alright—but be careful," Mr. Dalhart reminded him casually, though it had been quite a while since he'd said something with such concern.

Once Kieran finished his breakfast, he headed back upstairs to his room to change and before leaving he paused to run a hand over the folder sitting on his desk. It was filled with words that used to mean so much to him—maybe they always would simply because they described the kind of wonders he may never again have the opportunity to behold. Worry lines creased his forehead. A part of him still felt an incredible longing leftover from yesterday's discovery. That was the part that had come up with the excuse of going to the Stronghold in case Kieran decided that he wanted to get out of the house and go back to check on the portal. After a moment of deliberation, he decided that he needed to get out, and maybe he would check on the Stronghold—just in case.

Kieran headed out the front door and began following the dirt path that led towards the villages. He tried to think about Jasmine as he approached the fork in the road, because the rebellious part of him was itching to turn left and head towards the Dark Forest. It would be a very long walk, but maybe...he shook his head to dispel the thought. Don't bother. You'll only get lost without Draven. And don't forget about the monsters, he reminded himself.