Taken by the fog

Explanation?

"That was close." Jackson sighed.
"No wonder." I muttered under my breath.
"What did you say?" Vaughn asked.
"Nothing. Can we continue where we just left off?"

Jackson kept an eye on me for the rest of the night. This guy is seriously giving me the creeps.
"There is this book called Fog and mystery which explains a lot. We don't have it here but we are still looking for it. " Vaughn explained.
"You think the book can honestly help her?" Jackson commented.
"You know what would help if you shut up and let Vaughn talk." Sam noticed my more hostile behavior towards Jackson.
"Did something happen?" He asked cautiously.
"No, we're good." Jackson's eyes bore into the mine to go along with his lies.
"Sure, we're good." I answered shortly. "Is there anything else you have to tell me?"
"You should tell them about the book and wait for if anyone finds it. If you see Mike you should hug him and then go to the next, no time to be sappy or anything." Vaughn started instructing me.
"I didn't realize you were an expert on my life and how I should live it. Continue while I take notes."
"What?" Vaughn looked at me confused.
"I think that's enough for today." Sam stood up.
"Fine by me."
"What just happened?" Drew asked, he just came back from the kitchen.
"Not much. They were just leaving." Jackson commented.
"This escalated quickly." Vaughn stated. "Jen, Ayden and Jackson will probably pick you up. They have something to show you, something you can use to your advantage."

"What was that about?" Sam asked as we were walking back to the house.
"Nothing." I denied.
"Jen, I know something happened."
"Why would you bother?"
"For starters, we live in the same house. Which means I still have to deal with you if you're in a mood. More importantly, you're my brothers best friend, I've known you for years. Why wouldn't I be nice?"
"I don't know, just wondering. I kind of figured I would be alone in the fog."
"Consider me the fog TJ."
"So I can go to you for girl talk?"
"Please no, use Lilith for that."
"Thanks for the support." I noted sarcastically. "On a serious note, I can't tell you. It's not my story to tell."
"That's fine. Just come to me if you want to talk. You're not alone in the fog." I smiled gratefully. I may not be able to tell him everything, at least I know I'm not alone. 

"Is Vaughn always this vague?" I asked Sam.
"Usually no. I don't understand why he is now, he won't tell us anything either."
"Doesn't it worry you?"
"No, not really. It will probably work out in the end."
"And Drew?"
"What about him?"
"You and him are kind of close."
"Yeah, we've known each other our whole lives. You can say he's my brother." Sam explained.
"Then why is he living with Jackson? Not with you?"
"Drew came here earlier, I was taken about two years later." As Sam explained, I recalled everything. It broke Sam for a while. "He met Jackson and they were partnered up, they have been roomies ever since. One of them can be annoying, both of them means double the trouble."
"They sound fun." I laughed.
"They are." Sam laughed along.
"I'll give it my best with Jackson. I'll see you tomorrow."

I walked upstairs and quickly fell asleep. Until someone decided to throw rocks at my window. I looked outside to see Ayden and Jackson standing there.
"Ready to go?" Jackson asked frustrated.
"Vaughn said soon, not in a couple of hours." I whined sleepily.
"What better time than now." Ayden sounded chipper, he is way too happy in the morning.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see!" Ayden replied. "Just hurry up."

"Stop messing around, where are you taking me?" I asked grumpily. They woke me up at 4 a.m. without explanation and they dragged me away for a hike in the woods. I love hiking in the woods, but I love hiking in the woods more when I have had a good night's rest.
"Can you quit whining?" Ayden laughed as he made a left turn.
"Why would I do that? If I quit whining it seems like I'm okay with you morons dragging me out of my bed at 4 in the morning."
"We're taking you to a special place for the fog." Ayden replied. Jackson followed behind us, so far he hasn't spoken a word. Not a morning person I guess.
"Here we are." Jackson spoke all of a sudden.
"It's a tree."
"A tree in the middle of a forest? Who would've thought?" Ayden commented.
"Shut it." I made my way over to the tree. "It looks and feels different from the rest of the trees."
"Because it is." Jackson started. "You see, the tree has.."
"It has no roots." I interrupted him. "Sorry."
"No worries. You catch on quickly."
"How long has it been here? How long has it been since he had no roots?"
"It's been here for centuries, stories say that it has lost his roots a very long time ago."
"The tree will stay here but it will not blossom any further. As if it's bound to the fog." I walked closer and placed my hand on the tree. Instantly I got dragged away, there was no Jackson and no Ayden. In front of me was a totally different thing.

"Welcome." The thing called out.
"Where am I? Who are you?" I asked.
"You're in your own subconscious, I just joined the party."
"Well, you can leave the party."
"Not yet, there are some things we need to talk about. Thus needing me to be here."
"Wait, if you're in my mind then I can kick you out." I tried to fully focus on shutting out the other presence in my mind.
"Your efforts are futile. You are mentally not strong enough, in two days you should come back to the tree. There you will find something in which Orson's dislike towards you will grow. Don't forget to withstand his efforts of distracting you. You're here with a cause, trying to stop the fog and hopefully ending the fog." The thing continued.
"Why me? Why don't you have a shape?" I continued.
"Your will is strong and we know you are mentally strong enough to withstand Orson. I have no shape because I am just a figment of the imagination. You are able to give me any shape you want." The thing turned into a dog, a weird talking dog. "There you go, now I'm a dog."
"What does this all mean for me? Why do I have to go back in two days?"
"Your role in the fog is much more detailed than others. The tree needs to adjust to your presence, so you need to give it the time. Return in two days and you'll know what I talked about." Slowly I felt the presence retrieving from my mind. I opened my eyes and saw the tree, not the same spot I was in before.

"You took your time. We have to leave." Jackson commented sharply. Away was the sort of nice Jackson.
"I did. It's weird how it has no roots."
"Well, at least you can't trip over them." Ayden joked, which earned him a punch on the shoulder from Jackson.
"Can you bring me here again? I want to investigate the tree further."
"Of course, Ayden can take you the day after tomorrow." Jackson nudged Ayden in the back. "For now let's go, I'm freezing."  

***