CHAPTER FIVE

THE FRIEND

Jack watches the girl walk (well, run) away. Frowning, he considers her obsession with the vine on his arm, wishing he could let it spring out and wrap her up and bring her back to him. But judging by her tone, she probably wouldn’t like that at all.

If only she would help him. He has to get back home; who knows what’s happening there. He stumbled into this world by accident, and now he has to stumble out of it somehow. Why did the portal take him here, of all places? He’s heard that the land of mortals is strange and dangerous, but he didn’t count on the natives being so unfriendly.

Zera warned him once that they don’t believe in Never After over here, but he didn’t realize it was true. Then again, how did that girl know a fairy spell? And what was that book she was carrying?

“Hey!” Jack calls out again. He realizes he doesn’t even know her name. Although she knows his. And what did she call him? The dashing hero of the series. Yeah, he’ll take it.

He waits for a moment, hoping she’ll turn and come back. But she’s long gone. Her long legs have taken her away.

He shakes his head and starts making his way to the end of the alley, considering his next move.

A sudden rustle in the bushes startles him, followed by the pop of a head out of the center. “Great job, chap. Seems like you really won her over.”

Jack clutches his chest and tries not to scream. “You scared the living beast out of me, Alistair! Little warning next time?”

The short, ruddy-cheeked boy finishes climbing out of the bushes with an innocent yet amused smile. He plucks some green leaves and twigs from his rough-spun tunic and close-cropped dark hair. “Sorry. Didn’t want her to see me. She seemed spooked enough. Well, can’t blame her. Ogre’s Wrath and all. I nearly tinkled me trousers meself. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” He shudders, then kicks his boots against the building to get the last of the dirt from himself.

Jack offers a sympathetic smile and pats his friend on the shoulder as he finishes dusting himself off. “It’s hard to get used to.”

Alistair removes one of his boots and inspects the bottom of it. Then he makes a face like he’s going to hurl, and brings the boot closer to Jack. “What do you think this is? I can’t get it off. It’s pink and … stretchy and it’s gotten things stuck in it.”

Jack pushes the boot away and says, “That’s quite all right. Keep your sticky things to yourself, please.”

Alistair shrugs and puts his boot back on, then stomps a few times for good measure, trying to get the pink goo off.

Jack watches his pal and smirks, trying to stifle the impending laugh bubbling up in his throat.

Alistair is one of Jack’s greatest friends, despite how different they are. Alistair is a head shorter than Jack, with a sweet, open face, and loyal to no end. His good nature tends to get him into troubling situations, but his sense of humor and positive attitude tend to lead him out of them.

“What’s cosplay?” Jack asks Alistair as they continue walking together.

“Beats me,” says Alistair. “What did you want with her, anyway?”

“She carried the mark of the Golden Oak. I thought she could help us find our way back to the tree. Plus, she had a spellbook and knew how to deflect an Ogre’s Wrath.”

“But she told you to go away.”

“I noticed,” says Jack.

“What do we do now?”

Jack sighs. “Let’s get something to eat. We’ll try to find the Heart Tree again tomorrow. We need to let Zera know I got you out of Parsa in the nick of time.”

“I can’t believe they raided that entire kingdom for one lamp,” says Alistair.

“Well, they didn’t get it this time, and they never will,” Jack says. “Not if we can help it.”

“Queen Olga knows we’re here for sure, though, sending her wrath through the portal and all. She’s never going to give up on that lamp,” says Alistair.

“If she returns, we’ll be ready for her,” says Jack. “But she’ll never get it. The only way to the lamp is through us.”

Alistair shudders, then quickly changes the subject. “Anyway, I read this guidebook Master Carl once wrote about the mortal world. I think we need to hunt something called cheeseburgers. That doesn’t seem too hard. I don’t think they can run very fast.”

“Cheeseburgers?” Jack repeats.

“The guidebook mentioned how they can hide in a system in your body for years, especially if you get them from a palace called the Golden Arches. But the guide also says they are not rare. In fact, they are very common here.”

Jack nods, taking this information in.

Alistair continues. “According to my map, there’s a place called Inside-And-Out Burger not too far from here. However, it does not mention how we get inside.” He gasps, accidentally crinkling the map. “Oh heavens, what if we go in and can’t get out? You know I’ve never been good at riddles!”

“Let me see that,” Jack says, taking the map from Alistair’s hands. “If mortals can do it, surely it can’t be that hard.”