BatIM Steps of the Survivor

Chapter Thirteen

Sammy had joined her cause in trying to start the end of the Trials and so had her wolf companion, the former in more reluctance than the latter. Inky, however, still bitterly resented the mere suggestion in causing a ripple in the calm lake that came with their obedience. Sammy tried to reason with the demon about it, as had Jade and Boris with the mute wolf's limited ability to communicate with the blind demon. Finally, as late January became mid-February, the call to action had finally, at long last, convinced the demon to pledge his effort into the cause.

Norman, though a slightly different story than the others, had also joined the cause early on. It had turned out that he was no part of the failure Sammy and Inky had experienced and heard no news about it until she had brought it to him herself. Jade had been unsure about relationships between her father and Sammy... or Inky, the demon especially since she distinctly recalled Trial Four, where the two fought it out. She'd shudder every time she recalled Norman's head being torn clean off.

Of course, while she was still healing from poor decision making, the others refused to let her physically train in the way she had suggested, the not-so-dangerous chasing each other to a specific point designated beforehand, she used this opportunity to sharpen the sense that didn't require her physical movement, trying to learn to use it like second nature. She was getting closer every day. Now, after nearly a month had passed, it no longer required such a diversion of focus to use it, but she still couldn't quite use it quite like her physical eyes.

On the surface, Jade had learned the name of the girl who lost her life on the survivor's birthday. Her name was Maybell Rose. She had been declared missing the day after Jade had insisted a revolution was going to happen. Boris had to help prevent her from breaking down upon seeing Maybell's smiling face on the poster... she was one of the only few who knew that Maybell wasn't returning. Not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't.

Ethan had also shown signs of sadness to Maybell's disappearance for a reason neither girl nor wolf could answer, and when Jade asked about it, she always got the answer of it not being her business. Perhaps he was right. She had important matters to attend to, and she didn't need an additional source of stress...

But she wanted to help. That desire burned in every single inch of her veins, a tender, warm flame to keep those who needed it warm in the midst of a cold winter's night.

At first, Jade intended not to introduce Sammy and Inky to Norman until a bit later, after she got closer to the three of them to properly gauge their reactions, but, life doesn't always go according to careful plotting. Norman had come up to them one particular day. Jade was quite scared that the situation would become hostile... but much to her surprise, it was a joyous reunion for her father and the former music director. Of course, there had been explaining to do with the demon and Trial Four, but much to Norman's credit, he was giving Inky a chance. It was much easier to train as one group instead of two separate sects.

When finally, Jade's injury healed back to being a scar for the second time, Jade put forward her all into catching up on the time she was forced to miss with training. Not just in the studio, but with Ethan as well. Her friends, minus the demon, were trying to tell her that she needed to rest and not push herself that hard. She simply shrugged this off and pushed harder to show them she could handle it.

The plan of the entire revolution was to intimidate Joey enough to make him stop. Inky, of course, said this notion was just as foolish as walking up to ask him to stop. Boris seemed to be the only supporter of her idea, perhaps because the two of them were mostly outsiders on just how persistent and ambitious their enemy could be. The rest of the group were apathetic toward whether or not Joey died. They just wanted the Trials to stop, just as much as Jade and Boris did. The one who started the movement had no intent on being the leader of it, insisting that the group should lead itself together, but looking deeper into it, it was clear that the group turned to her more often than not for decisions to be made.