STATIC; JR [2]

6.1

There was an eerie silence that fell over our group, apprehension and uneasiness stunning us into a quiet that we didn't know was so loud until the storm disappeared. Felix and I locked eyes for an awfully long time before we realised something did feel different; the energy between us was fuller; a notion that only truly occurred when we were placed in an extremely magical setting. 

"Are we there?" Sam wondered aloud, still holding tight to my hand as his shaky thumb rubbed a small patch of my skin; I thought the affection was now more for his benefit than mine. 

Ellen scoffed beside him, loud chuckle leaving her mouth. "There?" She mocked, eyebrows raised cockily as she glanced around behind her, checking that our surroundings were the same - and for the most part, they were. 

Felix did the same and then pursed his lips in thoughtful confusion before leaning closer to me and inspecting my orbs with his squinted ones. "Okay?" He asked me, head dipped to my shorter level. I nodded at him, stuck in a mild state of shock and blinking intensely to diminish the blur in my sight. Ellen began to ramble about the storm, stating how weird it was to have just vanished like that; something we all took as a good sign. He stood and ushered me up with him by a gentle jutting of his head, dark hair skimming across the height of his eyebrows. 

Ellen continued to talk, legs uncrossing as she moved to stand up, too. There was something so inconsiderate about the way she spoke, but I supposed I couldn't blame her. What would I say myself, had I been placed in her shoes? 

Suddenly, I had an idea on how to really conclude whether or not we had traveled between universes, and darted off toward the back of the house - to Felix's bedroom. I envied his space and wished I could have had a room as giant as his, but as I peered in through the dirty window I realised something. 

It wasn't his room at all - it was full of Oscar's things, a collection of his robotic mementos all precisely placed along the windowsill. 

I heard Felix shout out my name forcefully, an important reminder that I was meant to lead by his strict direction. "Edith, come back!" Heavy-footed stomps followed me to the back door of the large room, curious to know what I was so passionate to find. The Goth approached me first, bicep brushing my shoulder as he skid along the concrete path that lined the smaller building. "Don't do that, okay? You scared me." He said, softer, before quickly catching onto my notion and squinting through the glass. I heard him gasp, low breath of surprise passing through his parted lips. 

We pulled away from the opening when the others stood behind us, patiently waiting to listen to our findings. Jake lifted his elbow and extended his arm toward me, tender expression over his features. He began to speak, asking a question I didn't get to hear the end of because Felix let out an insanely abrupt shriek, anxious for me as he leaped between us. "Don't touch her!" 

Ellen jerked away, visibly rattled by his outburst. "Felix, what the hell?" She proclaimed, defending me with a quirked eyebrow; her demeanour was dripping with alarm but she should have expected this behaviour after what Felix had mentioned only moments earlier. 

Jake's face was sad - hurt, like he'd just seen Felix kick a puppy. "Why not?" He mumbled, slight anger behind his startled stare. 

Sam crept around the group, lining himself up with the frame of the window and taking a look inside, pressing his hands around his face to act as a barrier for the light. I heard him whistle but most of the sound came out muted due to the astonishment. "Because that's not his room." He looked smug when he straightened his back, grin wide with the nervous excitement I'd noticed in him earlier. 

Jake made an insulting click with his tongue and pushed past Sam to see for himself, shoving him away from the wall of the structure. He gaped, closing his mouth like he couldn't find the words to define his feelings. "I can't believe this; we're actually here." 

Sam strut back over to me, complacent spring in his step. "Sorry, Jake." He presumed, throwing his lanky arm over my shoulders. "Looks like the princess is mine." 

Jake kind of glowered at him, puckering his thin lips in clear irritation. He opened his mouth to counter the boy, but Felix cut him off. "Stop messing around, guys." He told them, bringing a hand up to his face and brushing his hair away. "Forget the fact there still could be a demon in this universe." He was sarcastic, rolling his eyes and turning away. I shivered slightly, goosebumps lining my arms and legs. 

Ellen laughed and cocked her hip, crossing her arms over her chest. "Waiting for us, is it?" She derided, smirking. 

Sam squeezed me, pulling me closer into his side when he noticed me quiver in trepidation. "Don't worry, Edith." He said, odd grin on his face. "The demon was only after Felix, remember?" 

"That's hilarious, but not very true." Felix stood tall, height raising to match that of Jake's as he scowled at him, shooting daggers hard and sharp. Sam dropped his arm, wary about the unforeseen confrontation. Felix tilted his head, narrowing his now dark globes as Jake tried to duplicate the stance. "Your girl's got a lot of power, Jake. I don't think the demon likes that." His tone, so very menacing, made Jake cower - although, he remained broad-shouldered as he tried to conceal it. Even as the confusion took over my body, I took a step forward with a calming hand outstretched in Jake's direction; I wanted to reach out and touch him, to graze him with the very tips of my fingers, at least - like if our skin met I might have been able to calm him down. I almost did, wrist stretched and sensitive before I realised I should have backed the hell off, Felix's crisp voice in the back of my mind. It was hard to catch myself when I longed so thoughtfully to cling to the back of his jacket, wrap my fingers around the fabric at the bottom of it in an attempt to anchor my mind to the heavy weight of the magical crisis we were stuck in.

The angry flame that demented Felix's naturally intrepid attributes didn't dim as he caught my movement from the corner of his glare, fists clenching down at his sides. "Edith, don't." 

Jake twitched, his persona altering slightly with the defense clouding his face. "Don't talk to her like that." It was a warning, an implication for something more if the confrontation continued. 

Having the opposite affect, it only spurred Felix on. He grew to be careless and equally as protective as Jake, absentmindedly flicking his hair from his face once again. "Maybe I should just ignore her, then. Flirt with another girl right in front of her, huh?" He suggested, blatant and deadpan. "Which sounds better to you, Jake? After all, you should know since you're pretty experienced in both fields." 

It was a punch to the gut, hearing him say it out loud - a slap in the face, a huge proclamation of the insolence in the boy who was supposed to care for me more than any other. It was painfully obvious to everybody that Felix had struck a nerve; each wrinkle that rested orderly in Jake's expression harboured guilt; a small fragment of the definite responsibility in the blame beginning to set in against his advances to thrust it away. "You don't know what you're talking about, freak." 

The insult threw Felix a little bit, hurt him more than the clash they were stuck in but he only stiffened. His eyebrows furrowed, mind and body so fast to revert back to the introverted boy he used to be before magic started to rule his life. There was true pain on his face, wound and harm in a thick aura around him as he began to stutter. Jake held his hardness but there was a tiny twitch at the corner of his lips; I lamented to notice it was a light hint of a smirk - he thought he'd won, but in reality, he'd just lost so much. 

Sam paced toward them, vexation moving him to intervene. "Jake, back off, dude." He said, quickly lifting his arm in order to quickly diffuse the tension of the conflict. He approached Jake with an open, lowly threatening palm, possibly ready to push him back if things escalated any further. "Take a breath." Sam argued with him, wild panic of fury in his eyes which spoke with a disgust that got lost in the guilt I harbored over the Saskia situation. They were working to prove my jealousy right and I was thankful to have them on my side. 

I stared between them, widened gaze eventually landing on Jake for the last time and analysing the expression covering his features. He was no longer the boy I'd grown so fond for, it seemed. Something was so different now, so evidently foreign and I wasn't sure how to deal with it. What could I say on the subject? Anymore about it would be a disrespectful insight while on our search for Andy. 

I was straying - we all were, but he had to be the only priority.