Jane and the Guardians: Sword of the Lady

Chapter 5

Jane wakes up in a palatial room on a luxurious bed. She gets up and sees a beautiful view of the ocean through a panoramic window. She notices her reflection in the window glass that she is now wearing an unfamiliar sheer white dress and immediately reaches to check for the ring. It is still there. She takes a seat by the window to gather her bearings. "Wherever I am, I am not in Kansas anymore," she says to herself.

Before long, John comes in the door with a pot of tea and two cups. He smiles and says, "How about some tea?"

"Where am I, and where's my Father?"

He sets the cups on the table and proceeds to pour. The sweet fragrance fills the room and Jane feels less anxious. He hands her a cup and she drinks. Without saying a word, she finishes the tea and puts the cup on the table. He puts his cup down and refills both cups.

"The tea is wonderful, isn't it?" John says in a gentle voice.

"Who are you?" Right to the point, even though she already knows the answer.

"Just a boy having tea with a girl."

"You're no boy. You left ten years ago to find the Sword." Come on John, tell me something to believe that you are on my side.

"You're right, we Guardians don't age like normal human. But you make me feel like the boy I was again before all this happened to me," he looks tenderly into her eyes. All Guardians hold the Lady in a special place in their hearts. But memories of his younger days as a Guardian wash over John and make him more sentimental than usual.

Jane blushes and averts his eyes. "Where is my father?"

"I'll let you see him in due time. But now, you need to understand why you are here," John says with a serious tone.

"You don't want me to stop your evil plan," Jane retorts sharply.

John laughs. "Is that what Donnie and Marie told you?"

"Mrs. Smith said I should trust them." He doesn't know I read his thoughts.

"Hmm, didn't heed their warning to run did you? Besides, they are inconsequential pawns who knows nothing of the magnitude of the burden that you are carrying. "

"High school, it's not that bad once you've survived freshman year."

John chuckles. "The wellbeing of all humanity is in your hands. That, Mrs. Smith never told you, now did she?"

Although it's unclear what John's intensions for her are, Jane can see he has been truthful to her. "So it's true? I'm God?"

John chuckles without malice or being demeaning. "In a manner of speaking, you certainly can play God. However, at the moment, you're more helpless than God-like."

"So what do you want from me?"

"To do your duty as the Lady," without sounding obsequious, John pleads earnestly.

Jane pauses to ponder and answers in an even voice, "Look, I have no idea what you are talking about. All I know is you killed Mrs. Smith and kidnapped my Father."

"Mrs. Smith passed her reign as the Lady to you before she died. I have your Father and Jack so, unlike Mrs. Smith, you should see things my way." Disappointed by Jane's answer, John resorts to threats, hoping that would be enough to make his point.

"What is that, to destroy the world with your terror?" Atomic bomb, tell me what it is!

"No, to save the world from itself," John replies in a dead serious manner.