A Final Stand

Chapter 4: Storytime!

<Jesse's POV>

"Olivia?" Lukas and I ask simultaneously, stunned.

She steps back, joy and surprise clear on her face. Then she slaps me, then Lukas. "How could you go missing for so long?!" She cries, hugging us again. "Twenty four years, and no sign of you anywhere! And you look like you've only been gone a week!"

I rub the spot she hit me. Yep, definitely Olivia. "Twenty four years?" I ask. "It's been that long?" I look at Lukas. He seems shocked, too.

"Yes! Come inside, quickly! We need to talk!" She pulls us through the door, and shuts it just as the sun dips below the horizon.

Several redstone lamps covered with stained glass activate as we enter, giving the house a dimmed light, bright enough to see by, but dark enough that the black-stained-glass windows don't reveal much from the outside. If they're trying to hide their being here, they're doing all right, I say to myself.

A set of stairs lead up to a second floor in a back corner of the room. Against one wall sit several burning furnaces and crafting tables. On the opposite wall are several chests, each organized by a sign and an item frame. A white banner hangs next to the chests, with a picture of the Amulet encircled by several words I can't make out. Thankfully, Olivia leads us over, and I can see more.

The bars of the Amulet, as well as the center square, are detailed with the images of the New Order; Axel in the green, Olivia in the red, Petra in the blue, Lukas in the grayish white, and me in the center. And it's our names along the outside, along with the words, "The New Order of the Stone".

"After you disappeared, everyone thought you died," she says as we settle down. "No one knew where you went. The last anyone saw, you two, Petra, and Ivor were leaving the city. It's gone now, taken over by crazy people and the Hunters."

That name again. "What are the Hunters?" I ask. "Everyone keeps talking about them, but no one will tell us anything."

Olivia glances around and lowers her voice, leaning toward us. "The Hunters are a group of people who are trying to 'make the world great again' and unite everyone under their banner. They look like normal people, until you see their eyes. They're pure glowing white."

Lukas jolts in his seat, and I look over at him. He seems terrified, and I wonder why.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Don't you remember? The dream?" He answers, and I remember. The dream he had, about the giant coiling beast. It had glowing white eyes, too.

"You think-?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"What makes sense?" Olivia interrupts, just as footsteps come down the stairs.

I turn and watch as Axel sees us and hurries over as quietly as he can and envelopes me and Lukas in a giant hug. "You guys are alive!" He whisper-shouts. "I can't believe it!"

"Ribs," Lukas grunts, and he lets us go.

"Wait, so who exactly are these people?" The girl from before asks, following Axel down. "They're not much older than Magnus and Elle."

I share a look with Lukas, then turn to Olivia. "Magnus and Ellegaard?"

"J, this is Lukas and your namesake, Jesse." Olivia says. "They were friends of ours." She gestures to the banner, and the girl - Jesse - her eyes widen.

"You're part of the New Order?" She asks incredulously. "Then why aren't you as old as Mom and Dad?"

"Mom and- you guys?" I ask, looking back at Olivia. "You actually-? Never mind. I should have guessed."