STATIC; JR [2]

5.3

We were never able to get a hold of either Jake or Saskia, but I left my boyfriend a few messages and was almost as disappointed to have seen him not respond the next morning as I was to know I had to leave them at all. I tried not to jump to conclusions and think that the pair had been with each other, seeing as they departed from school grounds together and didn't end up making an appearance at Felix's place.

Sam sent me a text message as I was dressing for school, and I met up with him and Felix before our first class. They told me that Jake hadn't replied to any of their phone calls and that they just simply didn't know enough about Saskia to know how to contact her. I supposed it didn't really matter now, because we couldn't do anything without them both being there. We were practically useless apart, but together, we were a force to be reckoned with.

The sky was grey as we approached Jake's place, eager to talk to him and tell him about our latest assumption. My heart shook beneath my rib cage as I thought of Andy locked away in the other universe, and then it happened again when I thought of Jake.

I didn't know what was happening between us and that was frightening. He was no longer texting me, no longer checking up on me, no longer being the smart and caring boy I had been crushing on.

I had to talk to him, I knew that much, but I couldn't very well just bring it up in front of the other two boys.

I decided to let things slide for the time being, letting Andy and this new information consume my brain; besides, Jake hadn't really done anything wrong, had he?

I had to pinch myself; with Andy gone, there was no time for any of us to be worrying about silly relationship stuff, right?

Felix rang our blond friend as we stood outside his front door, Sam banging on it a few times before neither got an answer. The Goth put his phone away when Sam muttered something underneath his breath, starting to stalk away to the side of Jake's house.

He found the boy's room, a space I had never seen before, and then began to tap on the window. Felix and I followed him, not really impressed with Sam's antics but still allowing for him to continue. I think we were both too exhausted to try and bring him down a peg.

In saying that, Felix's face fell in annoyance at the sight of Jake laying in bed. He pointed toward the front of the house, silently ordering the boy to unlock the door and let us inside.

Sam, on the other hand, took it upon himself to crawl into Jake's bedroom through the window. Felix tried to stop him, quickly reaching out to grab him by the hood of his jacket but falling short just as the presumptuous boy fell through the opening.

"Sam!" He scolded, hands out in his state of disarray.

The boy shrugged from the opposite side of the glass. "What? He's right here?" He dismissed, gesturing to the quiet blond. He hadn't spoken a single word yet.

Felix stepped back to help me step onto the ledge and in through the window; I didn't really need the assistance but I did appreciate it, especially in a dress.

I plopped down next to Sam as Felix began to make his way in, getting his bag caught on something outside and mumbling in frustration when Sam moved to help.

I padded over to Jake's bed, not sitting down but just standing by it. He looked pale and extremely fatigued. Was he sick?

He stared up at me, a tiny smile on his lips. It didn't meet his eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. "You never called me back." I was concerned, but it was easier to be annoyed at him and judging by the expressions on my friends' faces, they felt the same.

"Yeah, same!" Sam added, now having gotten Felix into the room successfully. "What happened? We needed to talk to you."

Felix's eyes narrowed into suspicious slits as he took in Jake's dishevelled appearance. "Are you sick?" I let my gaze quickly flick around the interior of the small bedroom while waiting for a response; it was nothing too special, but at the same time, it was so Jake.

A little bare, messy, and clad with football merchandise.

"Bates invited me and my mum over for dinner last night, I couldn't talk." He offered, not really seeming all too troubled by our urgency to speak with him. Felix grimaced at the reasoning, practically shuddering at our teacher's attempts to get Jake to warm up to him. I wondered if things were serious between him and Jake's mother.

"What stopped you from calling back afterwards?" Sam questioned him, crossing his arms over his chest and shifting his weight onto the other foot. He only shrugged. "What's going on with you lately? Don't you care about getting Andy back at all?"

Jake dropped his head, turning his orbs away from our pressing stares and sinking down into his bed sheets. "Do you know what happened with the tracking spell?" He squeaked, knowing we were terribly displeased with him and the way he had been acting lately.

Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, okay. So, now you want to know?" He mocked as an indignant look crossed Jake's face.

He abruptly sat up in his bed, deep creases in his forehead. "I said I was sorry!" He exclaimed, his voice echoing around us.

Felix sighed, his shoulders slumping. "No, you didn't." He mentioned, disapproval in his voice.

Sam opened his mouth to make another comment, but I silenced him with the swift raising of my hand. There was a time and place for this kind of conversation; here and now, this wasn't it.

"We think Andy might be in the other universe." I explained, hint of a deadpan tone to my words. Jake seemed shocked but I didn't let it faze me. "We have to go back there and get him."

"You can't be serious." He said, his head falling back against his shoulders.

Sam squinted as his gaze flew to me and then back to Jake. "What's the problem? We've made it there and back before." He stated, trying to downplay the fear I knew was deep inside.

"I've already re-worked the spell I used to get us there the first time, so now we should be able to travel between universes." Felix told us, his hands flying as he spoke. "We'll be gone before the first class."

Sam and I were on board prior to this visit and so this explanation came as no surprise to us, but it took Jake a long time to say anything in response.

Finally, he nodded. "You guys get a head start, I'll get dressed and be right behind you." He suggested, causing us all to scrunch our eyebrows together. We hadn't been working with magic for very long, but even he should have known that we all had to be there. We couldn't very well begin the spell without him.

Felix shook his head in disbelief at his strange demand. "What's going on?" He asked, dark brown hair falling over his eyes.

Jake was reluctant to answer but when he did we could all see why. He sighed deeply before reaching down to grab a hold of the blanket that was covering his legs, whipping it away at an intense speed.

Sam's lips fell apart as he attempted to speak, but no words came out. Only a harsh and unintended squeal was heard as I dropped to my knees beside the unwell teenager.

The entire surface of his foot had changed, it was a deep orange colour, similar to some shades of dirt. The skin was both hard and cracked and I wondered whether or not he had some kind of disease.

I placed my hand over my mouth when I realised with a heavy heart what was happening to him; he was becoming his element.

"Felix..." I mumbled, bringing my hand down to the back of Jake's exposed one and squeezing it tightly. I felt his gaze on me when our fingers came together, but something deep down inside me made me wonder if I should have been hesitant to touch him, not because of his illness but because of his indecency. "Is this something we can fix?"

The Goth's face was hard to analyse but I had to hope for the best, although he crushed my wishes when he spoke. "I don't know." He admitted, leaning down to inspect the damage already done to Jake's right foot. "It's spreading." He noted, voice a mere whisper in the otherwise silent room as the colour began to move up the skin of his bare leg. "We have to find Saskia."