The Aftermath

Chapter 3

Warning: Un-edited chapter (that author-scrambled-to-get-finished) ahead.

       During the next few days of the week, Jesse had never felt so lonely.

        Her friends were either busy helping the survivors find their families or building homes. If that wasn't bad enough, Jesse wasn't allowed to do anything to help them. Her first attempt had been a failure- her friends immediately ushered her back to their temporary "home". They kept insisting that she should rest, but she already felt rested enough. She understood that they were just trying to help, but it appeared obvious to her that she could take care of herself.

       The others' insistence of keeping Jesse out of any work seemed to grow more desperate if anything. Lukas pretty much fussed over her non-stop, asking if she was okay when she came to visit them unexpectedly. Honestly, she just wanted some company.

        Company was something Jesse always had. Now that that part of her was gone, she felt empty. The comforting warmth that always stood by her side had been snuffed out, replaced by a wave of frigid darkness. The emerald-eyed girl found herself craving attention from her friends, though she hated to admit it. She didn't like to think of herself as a needy person, but she was. She needed her friends to fill the hole that Reuben left behind.

        Jesse liked to think that it was her friends who made her stronger. Not her. Because when she was alone... she wasn't strong at all.

       The days grew warmer as the land slowly began to recover from the storm's attack. Jesse hadn't noticed it before, but there had been a constant chill in the air whenever they were near the Wither storms. Ivor speculated that it may have been caused by the absence of the sun, since the storm's massive figure and power seemed to drain the life from everything including the sun.

        The fifth day rolled in, and Jesse found herself not as depressed as all the previous days. In fact, when she stepped out into the sun's rays, she actually felt... happy. For the first time in five days, she had a reason to smile.

       "Jesse?" A voice asked hopefully. Jesse turned her head towards the source and to her surprise saw a man whom she had last seen sick and feverish on the cold, stone floor of a cave. Now, his charcoal eyes were glowing with a newfound health. He was clad in deep blue armour and a diamond sword strapped to his waist.

        "Gabriel?" Jesse asked in amazement.

        The warrior smiled softly. "Hello, Jesse."

       At the sight of the warrior back to his full health, relief flooded through her. Jesse had no idea whether the wither sickness would go away or not, and didn't have a clue on what to do if it never faded. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

        "I'm so glad you're okay," Jesse breathed out.

        "I owe you a great deal, Jesse," Gabriel said gratefully. "If it wasn't for you pulling me out of that storm's clutches, well, I don't know what would've happened. Frankly, I don't want to think about it."

       "I don't blame you," Jesse shuddered. Having been inside the beast herself, she knew she would be having nightmares for the rest of her life.

        A sudden thought came to Jesse and she gasped, reaching into her inventory. Gabriel watched curiously as she swished her hand around in it until she finally found the item she'd been looking for. His eyes widened at the sight of the amulet in her hands, the blue, red and teal colours each glowing. The red was dim, as was the blue, but the light blue was shining brilliantly, lighting up their faces in its glow.