The rest of Jade's day dragged, each moment thick with anticipation. The clatter of glasses, the monotonous drink orders, the practiced smiles – the familiar rhythm of the bar now felt like a muted soundtrack to the question that gnawed at her: What was Dawn involved in, and why did she need Jade? During every lull in the afternoon rush, Jade found herself unconsciously reaching for the folded paper in her pocket, the scribbled address a tangible enigma. Eight PM felt an eternity away.
When her shift finally ended, a nervous energy bubbled beneath Jade's carefully constructed indifference. Curiosity warred with a burgeoning excitement for the unknown. She’d grown restless, the predictability of her life a tightening knot she’d been afraid to acknowledge, even to herself. The prospect of change, however uncertain, was a dangerous lure. But how could she possibly help Dawn with some mysterious project?
Leaning over the polished surface of the bar, Jade caught her manager's eye. Keith, an ex-military man in his late fifties, had given her a chance when no one else would, and his faith had been rewarded. She'd become one of his best; she had always had a talent for reading people and what they needed. "See you later, Keith," Jade called out, a genuine smile finally breaking through as she moved around the bar and headed for the door. Outside, the familiar sight of her royal blue Datsun 240Z with its orange racing stripes brought a small smile to Jade's face. Her pride and joy. She ran a hand along the hood, a habit from years of ownership, a silent acknowledgment of the car that had been with her since she'd painstakingly saved for it all those years ago. She slid into the driver's seat, turned the keys, and the engine rumbled to life as she shifted into gear.
A little while later, the warehouse loomed before her. Jade parked and got out, surveying her surroundings with a sense of unease. Nothing looked familiar. Pulling the crumpled paper from her pocket, she confirmed the scribbled address. This was it. The building was an old warehouse tucked away in a forgotten part of downtown. A faint hum of electricity emanated from within, but nothing on the outside suggested it was a place anyone would willingly enter.
The warehouse interior was a bizarre fusion of the mundane and the arcane. Makeshift tables held humming computer towers displaying complex, glowing symbols that seemed both technological and strangely organic. Wires snaked across the floor, connecting to crystalline devices that pulsed with soft, internal light. In the center of the room, a circle was drawn on the concrete floor, not with paint, but with a shimmering, dust-like substance that glowed faintly. Dawn stood within the circle, wearing a headset adorned with similar glowing symbols to those on the computers. Two other figures, their faces obscured by shadow, stood silently beside her.
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Then, Dawn’s gaze flickered to Jade, a strange mix of finality and something akin to regret in her eyes. The humming of the computers intensified, and the crystalline devices began to glow brighter, their light casting eerie shadows across the warehouse walls. The shimmering dust in the circle pulsed, and a low chant, in a language Jade didn't recognize, began to emanate from Dawn and the two shadowy figures. A wave of disorientation washed over Jade, the air around her thickening and distorting. The obsidian stone in her hand grew warm, then intensely hot. The last thing she saw was Dawn’s lips forming the words, "Good luck and Goodbye, big sis" before a blinding light erupted from the circle, and the world dissolved into a kaleidoscope of swirling colors.
Disorientation clung to Jade like a heavy shroud as she drifted back to consciousness. The last thing she could grasp at in her memory was... something urgent, something involving her sister, but the details remained frustratingly elusive. She shook her head, hoping to dislodge the mental fog, but her thoughts remained stubbornly out of reach. Deciding to focus on the present, Jade began a mental inventory of herself. She ran her hands along her body but everything felt the same no new bumps or bruises. She was leaning against the rough bark of an enormous tree, and nestled in her lap was a smooth, black stone, roughly the size of a worry stone. When she picked it up, it radiated a heat that was surprisingly comforting. Curious, she brought it closer to her face and noticed a faint, almost imperceptible buzz vibrating against her fingertips. With no immediate understanding of its purpose, she tucked it into the front pocket of her jeans. Pushing herself to her feet, Jade stretched, working out the stiffness in her muscles. As she moved, her gaze swept across her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar. The tree itself seemed ordinary enough, as did the swaying grasses but the vibrant, unfamiliar flora carpeting the ground hinted that something was off. Yet, a deep, unsettling certainty settled within her: she was nowhere she had ever been before. Jade looked around but nothing gave her an idea of what direction to go but she knew she needed to make the most of the light streaming though the unfamiliar canopy. She did not want to be here once night fell. Jade was about to take a step forward when she heard something. A cracking of a stick in the near silence. Jade crouched low looking for what had made the sound. Instinctively she reached into her pocket feeling the stone and its comforting warmth.
