Identity: Unknown

ch. 4

The text keeps changing font!! I don't know what to do! (Lol. i just like over-reacting sometimes)

Please, enjoy!

Chapter 4

It was just beginning to strike noon when Celeste and Travis and the others walked onto the bridge to meet Jade. Tristan made sure to stay close to Celeste as they stood waiting. Travis opened his mouth to ask what could be taking Jade so long when he heard footsteps from the direction of the forest. Turning their backs to the path that led to the village, Celeste and Travis turned to see two figures emerge from the trees. Red hair glinted from underneath the dark hood of one, with a man clothed in solid black walking in long, smooth strides beside the person who could only be Jade.

Jade moved quickly, purposefully, toward the group of performers, Trenton right beside her. Celeste stepped forward and opened her mouth to speak. Trenton held up a hand, stopping her. Jade stopped a few feet away from the group and spoke, “Would you mind meeting inside the trees? It’s less likely to be monitored.”

Travis nodded, “We’ll follow you, but not too far from the path.” Jade nodded in consent. She turned and walked to the edge of the forest, turning back to watch them follow her. Trenton stayed where he was, catching Travis’s eye, so that he turned aside to stand next to the strange man. Trenton looked him in the eye, “It’s alright. She’s not any danger to you and yours.”

“That’s good. If I thought otherwise, I would have allowed my people to arm themselves more visibly,” Travis watched the man closely as he spoke, looking for a reaction. The man didn’t respond, only nodded briefly.

Jade led the party to a small glen, a few minutes’ walk into the woods, where they could sit in a large circle on the logs and dry grass. A small ringed pit lay in the middle, filled with smoldering ashes. Another man stood at the far edge, waiting for them. When they arrived, he swung out his hand, offering them to sit wherever they liked. Jade sat walked over to him and leaned against a tree. After they had all been seated Trenton nodded to her and Jade began.

“I don’t know all of your names, I doubt I’ll remember if you told me, but my name is Jade. I work for Alexander MacDonnell, trying to find any clues about the missing Princess Jane Marie and the pendant she was given before she disappeared. I asked to meet you because I thought you might have information I might not have heard, rumors I didn’t hear yet, and things I’ve heard that I might have discredited so far. This is Andrew, to my right, and is a fellow searcher. Over there by your leader, Travis, is my associate, Trenton. Does anyone have any questions?”

When no one replied, Jade nodded, “Good. Celeste, could I talk to you alone? I have a few personal questions.” Celeste nodded, and stood. Travis grabbed her arm, stared back into her face for a few seconds, and then reluctantly let her go. She walked over to Jade and passed Andrew as he went to talk to the twins, who were near the fire. Jade smiled at her motioned for her to sit down, sliding down to rest against the base of the tree herself. Celeste sat, waiting for Jade to speak up. Jade took out a knife and a branch of wood. As she started to whittle the slender wood pole, she asked, “Have you ever seen the pendant that is being searched for, any pictures of the actual thing?” Celeste shook her head and murmured, “No, I haven’t. Why?”

“I haven’t either. Not in the ten years I’ve been working for MacDonnell, have I seen an image of the pendant. I’ve seen numerous paintings of the princess, many of which could be copies of you, by the way, but never, the dead queen’s pendant,” she looked Celeste in the eyes, “Don’t you find that odd?”

“Yes. But why are you telling me this?”

“Because I’ve been dreaming of it, and the description you gave of it seemed to match what I’ve always heard, but not what I dream of,” Jade leaned her head back against the tree trunk, staring at the sky, blocked though it was by tree limbs. “You seemed to possess a gift for seeing the truth of things, seemed to believe what you were saying. I don’t see that a lot. Most people just embellish to get better coin from a crowd, but you tell the story because you believe in it.”

Celeste stared at her, this woman, a total stranger to her, had noticed things about Celeste that she had never seen before. “I have never had any reason not to believe the stories I tell. If you have these dreams about the pendant, maybe you should look for it, focus on the pendant, and use your dreams to lead you.”

“I did. They led me to a woman with fiery red hair like mine, bright blue eyes, and a storyteller’s clothes,” Jade turned her head to watch Celeste as she spoke. Watching as Celeste took it in, the shock on her face as realization hit, the stunned expression that spread across her face slowly. Jade smiled wryly, she had felt the same when she had thought it through.

“I think I need you to help me find it. Once we find the pendant, we should have an easier time finding the lost princess.”

Celeste shook her head, trying to comprehend it all. The only problem with the idea was her job as a storyteller. And Travis… whatever was going on between them was growing, getting stronger, and causing her to rethink their relationship.

Trenton sat next to Tristan by the fire, watching Andrew talk a set of identical twins. Travis stared in the direction Jade had walked with Celeste, silently worrying about her, the woman he had known for years but had never noticed until a few months ago.

“Do you have feelings for her?” Travis asked, startling Trenton, “Jade, I mean.”

Trenton chuckled humorlessly, and looked Travis in the eye, “Yes, I do; strong ones. Not that she ever seems to notice.” He looked away, toward the edge of the clearing, “I suggest you tell that girl you care for that you have feelings too, before she leaves for good.”

Travis stared at him, “How did you know that? I never even told someone else about that!”

Trenton smirked, “I’m in the same predicament. Maybe we can just be miserable about it together.”

“Maybe.”

“If she comes with us, I’ll make sure you get her back in one piece. I promise.”

Before Travis could respond, Jade and Celeste walked into the clearing again, side by side, nearly identical.

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Hey! so, random thing of the week- apparently my class is like High school Musical this year, HSM 2, this summer, and HSM 3 next year! (How weird is that? obviously I don't know since i've never seen them before)

 sorry for the rambling (no, i'm really not)

Vote, comment, like, tweet, favorite, ( is there any other media that i missed? Lol)