SC: Chapter Fifty-Eight and Fifty-Nine

Chapter Fifty-Eight: In Which Jack Tries To Figure Stuff Out But Fails

    “Snow’s awake!” Jack shouted to Flake, who was sitting in the library of the Grand House.  He was reading the Unseen Potions book, which he promptly dropped once he heard what Jack said.

    “She is?!” he exclaimed.  He leaped up from his chair and started running to the door.

    “Hey, wait up!” Jack cried, and ran after him.

    The two of them arrived at the healer’s room, breathless and excited.  Sure enough, she was sitting upright in her bed, looking quite confused.  But once she saw Flake and Jack, her whole face lit up.

    “Don’t disturb the patient!” Dr. Blossoms exclaimed, but Snow and Flake were already hugging each other, with Jack awkwardly standing in the corner.

    “Um, Dr. Blossoms?” Jack asked.  “Why did you give us that Unseen Potions book?”

    Dr. Blossoms suddenly looked very alarmed.  “Shh!  Don’t mention it!  I’m not supposed to have such a thing in my possession in the first place, but I do believe that these kids have been infected with potions of that kind.”

    “Potions…” he said slowly.  “Are there any… harmful side effects?”

    “Well, this young lady can’t talk anymore, that seems like a pretty big side effect.”

    Can’t talk…  Jack looked over at Snow.  She hadn’t said a word… but Flake was still talking to her like normal...

    “Hold on, I have to go!” he exclaimed, rushing out the door.

    The book.  Jack rushed to the library where Flake had dropped the Unseen Potions book and quickly flipped the pages to the page that Flake had shown him earlier.  He quickly read through the whole chapter, his mind abuzz with thoughts.

    So he’s trying to make some sort of powerful potion- but what?  What is he trying to do? Jack thought.  Maybe he is trying to get some sort of… unseen essences from the people he kidnapped in order to make a dangerous potion and do something with it?  Do what?  Maybe I’ll know when Flint wakes up.  If he wakes up.  Jack shuddered.

    Flint… the last time we talked we were in his room poring over pictures in the iPad Flint had stole from Dad’s lab.  The pictures of places that he had never seen before.  I had always figured they were from the outside, but now that I’ve been out there… it doesn’t seem like it.  So where does it come from?  Somewhere far far away?  And is that even relevant?  He sighed, leaning against the plush library chair.

Chapter Fifty Nine: In Which Rose Is Bored But Discovers Something

    Rose did not know how to pick a lock.  She tried- by squeezing her finger through the keyhole and pushing around- but that didn’t work.  She also tried to peer outside of her room through the crack in the doorframe, but there wasn’t much of a view.  Nobody passed by in the hallways.

    She entertained herself by looking at the books in the bookshelves. The books were in a language she could not read, but it was still interesting to look at the oddly formed letters and shapes.  Rose flipped through all of them, hoping there would somehow be a key pressed between the pages or some other useful item, but there were none.

    Sometimes she’d think back to the forest, where she had lived her life not too long ago, but it felt like ages.  Rose thought back to what might’ve happened there.  Was everything as normal?  She supposed it was.  Would she go back to that life if she had a choice?  Not a chance.  Right now might be boring, but not for long, she was sure.

    Then she checked out the silver box thing she had found in Flint’s bed when she had first went in the room.  It didn’t look like anything much at first, but when Rose started pushing around the buttons in the side, the box came to life in her hands, suddenly glowing and humming as if she came across a dangerous and powerful magic.

    She yelped and dropped it on the bed.

    Okay.  Some weird glowing thing.  Why did this Flint guy have it in his bed anyways?  Rose reached out and grabbed the device.  Okay, so what does this do?  She started pressing the screen and pushing random buttons.  Suddenly the screen turned dark once again.

    Rose frowned. “Oh.  I suppose I have all the time I need to figure this out.