Parallels- an MCSM AU [COMPLETED]

TWENTY-FIVE - Further Back

you have no idea how long i've been looking forward to this chapter reeeeeeeeeeee

this one's unfortunately fairly short, but uhh,, sorry.

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"Reubeeeen! Reuben, where are you?!"

The boy dashes through the woods, ducking under low branches and hopping over fallen logs, calling out for his pet pig. He can't believe everything has turned bad so fast.

One minute, he and his friends were triumphant, standing on top of their wool zombie statue, feeling like they owned the world. The next, he's found himself bolting through the darkening woods as he tries to find his beloved pig, who'd been set on fire by their rivals.

Fire! Of all the nasty, devious tricks to pull.

He is going to kill Aiden.

The sun is just starting to go down, the late afternoon sinking into the beginnings of evening. He needs to find Reuben soon, since he really, really doesn't want to be out here after dark. He's completely unprepared right now, having nothing but a flint and steel and a wooden sword in his inventory.

Slowing to a stop, he glances worriedly at the trees around him. There's no sign of anyone or anything, much less a scorched pig in a dragon costume.

"Reuben?" he calls again hesitantly. This time, he hears a slight rustling noise, and whirls around.

It's not Reuben. It's not even a mob.

A tall, elegant woman appears in his line of sight, and he tenses slightly. He's never seen her before, but she seems vaguely familiar in a way he can't describe. She looks to be several years older than him, and has long dark hair that's pulled away from her face by a coral-pink hairclip. Though she's undeniably pretty, there's also something faintly disconcerting about her.

The unsettlingness disappears when she smiles at him and says, "Well, hello."

"Uh...hi." He replies hesitantly, unsure of how to react.

After a quick glance around, she asks, "I heard your voice and thought I should come investigate. Are you looking for someone?"

He slowly relaxes as she walks towards him. "Yeah. My pet pig, Reuben...he ran off. Have you seen him?"

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry to say I haven't. I'll help you look, though, if you want. I know these woods pretty well."

She seems so genuine and kind that he can't help but agree. "Sure, thanks. I'm Jasper, by the way."

"Call me Essa. And, ah...if I can ask about this pig of yours...why did he run off? They normally seem like such calm animals."

Jasper is immediately gratified by that she doesn't point out the fact that a pig isn't exactly a normal pet to have. "They are. He...sorta got caught on fire. My friends and I were at the building competition, and one of our rivals tried to sabotage us with lava, and it...didn't end well. Reuben took off somewhere this way. I just don't know where." he summarizes briefly.

Essa raises her eyebrows, her expression full of shock. "Lava, huh? That seems extreme."

"Extreme is basically Aiden's middle name." Jasper grumbles, kicking at a pebble as he walks. "He practically lives to torture me."

She shakes her head sympathetically. "Sometimes people are just impossible. I remember I had to deal with someone like that back when my friends and I used to compete."