“We’ll be leaving soon…” Jake said above her, shaking her shoulder as he pulled her back into consciousness. A grumble of incoherent complaint escaped the back of her throat as Alice forced herself upright, cover falling away from her as she blinked bleary-eyed and dazed. She was rather upset at having been woken up, she couldn’t remember a time in her life she’d rested so peacefully. She thought the mushroom had been comfortable, a soft and inviting mass she could sink into, yet still, the warmth of the bed put it to shame. Internally, her heart wept for all the nights wasted sleeping on her floor.

  Spinning around to face Jake she prepared a complaint in her mind, sarcastic and annoyed, but it died in her throat before she could hope to share it. He looked awful. His eyes looked slightly unfocused, as matted, greasy hair clung to his face. Dark circles were evident under his eyes. His clothes, though not usually very pristine, looked somehow more unkempt and unruly than usual.

  “What happened to you?”

  “Trouble sleeping…” He replied, voice clearly tired as he broke into a yawn, his hands pawing at his eyes. “Come on, suns rising any second…”

  Glancing toward the window Alice saw he was correct. Already streaks of purple tore through the horizon, beginning to break away and reveal the true brilliance of the dawn to come. Startled by how fast the sun was upon her, she tried to hurry out of bed to pack only to be stopped by Jake who placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “No time… I packed everything…” He said before interrupting himself with a rather ferocious yawn, and Alice noticed for the first time that in the hand not resting on her shoulder he was holding her newly purchased backpack. “Just give me your hand before it’s too late. Not that this place is so bad I guess…” Jake said, slightly out of it as he gazed around the inn. Alice just gave him a grateful nod, grasping hold of the hand still resting near her shoulder.

  She’d barely managed to grasp hold of his hand before a few moments later the two had slipped, falling through to a new world. Yet something was different this time. The two landed with a thunderous crash, landing in a heap of featherdown and broken wood. Untangling themselves from the wreckage of their latest landing Alice realized the inn’s bed she’d still been resting on had made the journey with them.

  “We stole a bed…” Jake said, voice sounding half concerned half asleep. He was standing again now but looking him over Alice could guess it wouldn’t be long before he passed out flat. Thankfully, looking around her she realized the majority of the bed had survived the fall, even if the bedframe hadn’t been so lucky. Smiling softly she fully untangled herself free from the clutches of the destroyed bed's comforter before grasping lightly to Jake’s shoulder.

  “We sure did, huh? You should probably get some sleep, don’t you think?” She said gently, slowly nudging him forward toward the bed sprawled out across the ground.

  “But… we don’t know where we are… or… or what… or…” He was struggling to talk now. Though he continued to offer light resistance and complaints, he made no significant effort to resist being shoved forward into the remains of the bed sprawled out on the ground.

  “Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of everything…” Alice said vaguely, not entirely sure what she was promising to take care of outside of keeping watch while he slept. Still, that seemed enough to satisfy Jake's tired mind as without further complaint he collapsed, falling deep asleep within a few seconds.

  Stepping back from the wreckage of the bed so as not to disrupt his slumber, though she doubted she could wake him now even if she tried, she let a deep sigh escape her. Looking around where they’d landed, she couldn’t see anything of note for miles. The ground was bare coated in dried dirt. A few dead and dried trees grew sporadically around them, yet nothing living was anywhere in sight. This was a major disappointment to Alice as she could already feel her stomach tying itself in knots, unsatisfied with the lackluster dinner provided by the inn.

  A pang of annoyance shot through her as she recalled the pitiful bit of string Jake had brought back yesterday, purchased with the last of their money. Though she admitted the string would probably serve more helpful in the long run, she’d kill for something to eat right now. Then again…

  She shuddered remembering Jake's sudden, violent reaction last night when she brought up the idea. He’d been so normal up till that point, it had come completely out of nowhere. Not to mention, what the hell was with him staying awake all night? She’d expected him to keep watch awhile, wake her when he felt like drifting off to sleep. Instead, it looked like he’d just sat there in the silent dark all night, alone and unmoving.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  A shiver went up her spine as she glanced toward Jake’s sleeping form, now absentmindedly tugging at the mess of covers and sheets sprawled out around him at random during the fall. She felt sometimes she forgot how little she really knew about him. He’d done so much for her, given her so much in such a short period that she often forgot that the two of them were practically still strangers. She knew nothing of his journey before the two met save a few handed comments here and there, nothing concrete. As for where he was from…

  She knew more about that. New some fun facts that amounted to little more than trivia it felt like. When they first met, whenever the topic of home would come up, Jake seemed willing to talk about it. It was never anything personal, always small inconsequential things, but still, the things he talked about she could never have imagined in a million years. Now though, ever since… ever since the corridor… He always looked so sad when talking about home. Always looked so sad whenever Alice would ask about it or talk about what little she did know. So sad, so hopeless. Eventually, she learned to let it go as new topics of conversation grew between the two.

  Shaking her head to refocus her thoughts, Alice grabbed hold of the two packed bags dropped to the floor by the shambling Jake as he’d collapsed into the bed and tore through their contents. She had faith in Jake, even as exhausted as he was, yet still she thought it was best to check everything was here even if there wasn’t much they could do about it now. Better to be prepared. Thankfully, it looked like everything had made the journey, spread out across the two bags.

  Closing the flap of the second bag and finishing her search, a chill ran down her spine as her entire body shivered, caught unprepared by a sudden chill passing through the valley of dried earth and dead trees. Even the air seemed lifeless, cold and still, and with it Alice could feel her body temperature falling fast as with each breeze, even the minor ones, she was left shivering arms drawn close to herself for warmth.

  Tearing the bags back open after just having finished closing them, she sorted desperately for where Jake had stored the blankets bought only yesterday, pausing her search as her hand brushed against a pair of rough rocks settled at the bottom of Jake's pack. She’d seen him use these before a few times, how fast they could spark a fire.

  Excitement building in her, she pulled the sparking stones free from the confines of the bag and turned them over in her hand, feeling their weight as she examined them. Holding one in each of her hands, she brought them together in a scrapping motion sending a shower of hot sparks out across her legs. She stood in surprise, ready to fight to extinguish the sparks before they could spread. Thankfully, most died soon as they touched her with only a few lingering long enough to smolder lightly on her clothes before also dying out.

  With a satisfied nod, Alice traipsed around the remains of the stolen bed gathering the pieces of the destroyed bed frame. When her work was complete, she’d assembled a sizable pile of wood chunks across from her, topped with sprinkles of sawdust and splinters for garnish. Sitting back a moment, Alice admired her work before sending showers of sparks out upon her wooden creation. It didn’t take long for the gathered timber to light, and before long a roaring fire had erupted in the middle of the barren plain the two now found themselves, Alice crawling closer to the edge as she savored its warmth.

  Letting the stones slip from her hands she leaned forward admiring the way the heat of the fire danced and swayed in the breeze, seeming to invite her forward and pulling her ever close to the warm embrace of the flame's heat. Watching the heat of the flame she felt something within herself stir, drawn to life. Blinking a few times to recompose herself, she tore her eyes away from the fire as she began digging through the bags again before finally pulling the battered harp free.

  Cradling it softly in her hands, she turned back and was immediately redrawn to the fire's flames as something within her seemed to erupt. She’d never felt like this before, never felt a pull this strong. Instinctively, she tugged one of the remaining strings left on the harp, its battered sound filling the air as she could feel inside herself the bundles and webs of strings resonant in harmony, rhymical pulsing in time to the sound of the single note. And across from her, the fire responded in kind.

  It seemed to sway, drifting off to the left as the note hung cracked and broken in the air before faltering and returning to normal. Shocked, Alice plucked another string, watching as the fire swayed and danced to the right now. Entranced, Alice pulled the last of the harp's broken strings and was nearly burned as the fire roared in response, almost doubling in size. Stepping back a few feet, Alice resettled back into the dry dirt several meters away from the roaring flame and began to play.

  She knew little of what she was doing, the song produced was not very melodious and was terribly off-beat, not helped by the poor state of the harp she lovingly cradled. The fire didn’t seem to mind though, it roared to life, swaying in the air as it danced to the song of the harp, danced in time to the rhythmic pulsing that resonated throughout her body. Faster and faster she played, uncaring how she sounded, only caring to watch the fires dance. Only caring to feel the pulse of power grow within her, resonate and dance and vibrate against her internal knots and webs.

  “What the hell…” She heard off to her side, distracting her long enough to stop, turn and see Jake sitting up out of the bed looking around confused as he watched the fire dance and sway in time to Alice’s harp. Only now did she realized how much time had truly pass, the sun already beginning to set. Only now did she fell a deep exhaustion begin to grip hold of her being as the strings within released the pulsing power back upon themselves, flooding her body.

  “Morning…” She said towards Jake, distracted by the sensation of power vibrating throughout her body. It was lasting far longer and was far more intense than she’d ever felt before.