Chapter 3 - Left in the Dark

Chapter Three: Left in the Dark

“Yo, Jake!” Jake heard his name being called as students piled out of the school at the end of the day. Jake turned around to see one of his classmates, Alex. “Wait up.”

Jake waited for Alex to catch up with him. “Wassup, man?” They greeted each other.

“Spud''s party still on Saturday?” Alex asked.

“For sure. Try to be there by six-thirty,” Jake confirmed.

“No problem. Look, I wanted to let you know that since the Jenkin brothers transferred that there''s an opening on the team.” Jake started shaking his head before Alex could finish.

“I told you before, Alex, I don''t have time to give for the basketball team,” Jake tried to explain.

“Why not? You know you got mad skills when it comes to the court,” Alex told him.

Jake gave him a cocky smile. “I know my skills are like mad legendary, but I work after school at my grandpa''s shop and-” Jake stopped when he realized Alex was no longer listening to him. He wasn''t even looking at him. So he turned his head to see what Alex was looking at and blinked a few times when he saw Trixie approaching them.

“So when you going to give me the hook-up, man?” Alex asked with a smile.

Jake cocked an eyebrow with the question as he looked back at his classmate. “Hook-up with what?”

“With Trixie, of course,” he answered, his eyes not leaving Trixie since she came into his view.

“Oh, okay, just let me get-” he was interrupted.

“Girl know she be looking good too,” Alex continued. “You know what I''m saying? Wearing those tight-@$$ jeans.” He slapped Jake''s arm playfully. “I mean, I know you''ve checked out the booty on that little number. . . I''ve seen you. And those lips,” he shivered as he moaned, “they just made me want to-”

“She''s taken,” Jake told him seriously, becoming protective as he heard the other''s words.

Alex finally looked back at Jake, curious at his change of tone. “By who?” he asked innocently.

Jake didn''t answer him at first, he just merely stared him down as if sizing him up. “Hey, baby,” Trixie greeted Jake with a term of endearment as she did from time to time as she stood beside him. She was then taken a little by surprise as Jake put his arm around her shoulder. It wasn''t a foreign gesture, she just couldn''t remember him ever doing so at school before. Something about always having to look available to any possible female''s whose eye he may have caught. She rolled her eyes at the thought.

“Question answered?” Jake asked Alex.

“Yeah.” Alex nodded, looking a little embarrassed with the discovery. “Meant no disrespect,” he told him as he held out his hand. “We cool?”

Jake looked down at his hand for a moment before removing his arm from around Trixie and smiling at Alex as he took his hand and pulled him into a half hug. “Like the other side of the pillow, man,” he told him. “No harm done.”

“Great,” he said as they pulled away from each other. Alex then started walking backwards. “I got to get to practice, but I''ll catch you later.” He then looked to Trixie and winked before turning around and disappearing among the other students.

“Asshole,” Jake whispered to himself.

Trixie shook her head disapprovingly. “What was that about?” she asked.

“What was what about?”

“Uh-uh, don''t play stupid with me, boy. I know you don''t like that Alex dude. So why do you even pretend to be nice to him?” she wanted to know.

“I have no clue,” Jake told her truthfully. He then reached into his pocket and dug out Spud''s yo-yo. “Where is that boy?” he wondered out loud, opening up the device again as he tried to figure out what it thing was counting down to.

“It doesn''t look like anything made by a human, does it?” Trixie told him. “Maybe- maybe we should have your gramps look at it,” she suggested.

Jake''s attention went from the yo-you to her. “What? No,” he shook his head. “It''s not our business about what it is. We''re going to return it to Spud and we''re going to forget about it.”

“What if it''s something dangerous? What if Spud doesn''t know it''s dangerous? You know him,” she tried to convince Jake. “You think it''s a countdown, right?” Jake nodded. “Well, what happens when it reaches zero or whatever it''s suppose to reach? We don''t know what it will do.” She grabbed it from Jake and inspected it herself. “Aren''t you just a little bit curious or even worried?” she pleadingly looked at him.

“Well,” he tilted his head to one side, “maybe just a little. I mean, sure we''ve always seen him with this thing, but whose to say it wasn''t switched out by someone who is out to get Spud?”

“Or you?” Trixie suggested and immediately regretted it when she saw the look on Jake''s face.

Jake then took the yo-yo back. It was the second time that day he had been reminded of his mother. He shallowed hard as he stared down at the toy in his hand. “Understand this,” he began softly. “No one else I love will be hurt on my account.” He looked into Trixie''s eyes. “No one.” He then stuffed the yo-yo back into his pocket and lowered his eyes again.

They were both quiet for a moment, neither knowing what to say next as the area around them cleared. Finally Trixie reached out for him, taking his shoulder. “Jakey,” she whispered slowly.

Jake pulled away from her, placing a huge smile on his face. “I''m good, Trix,” he told her, pulling up his baggy jeans. “Let''s head on over to my gramps''.” He then turned around and started heading towards his grandfather''s store.

Trixie sighed as she followed him. He got like that every now and then. Trixie used to try to get him to talk to her, about his mother and about what had happened the night she was taken as bait. She didn''t know much, except that it had something to do with the Dark Dragon and that Jake had taken Haley along with him to go get their mother. Both Jake and Haley refused to talk about that night and Trixie was starting to believe that whatever happened, they would take with them to the grave and so Trixie learned to stop asking.
OoOoO

“I''m sorry, Jake,” began Lao Shi, Jake''s grandfather. “But there is nothing in any of my books that contain this type of writing.” Lao Shi flipped through his last reference book. “But if you just allow me to take it to someone-”

“No,” Jake argued. “I want to keep this matter in-house.”

“So we''re back at square one then?” Trixie asked as she slumped in stool. They had been researching the the strange language for a couple of hours, but found nothing that could help them.

“Yeah, it seems so,” he replied, before looking at his watch. He then picked up the yo-yo from the counter. “We''re going to have to return it for now.”

“You''re right,” Trixie said jumping off her stool. “It''s only a matter a time before he realizes that thing is gone and we have a repeat of last year.” She grabbed her things before the two headed towards the front of the store. “Where''s that creepy dog of yours?” she asked, only now realizing how quiet the place had been without him.

“He''s off, gathering some stuff for gramps. He won''t be back for a while. Week or so,” Jake explained as they reached the door only to find that while they had been there that it had lightly started raining.

Trixie waited by the door while Jake went to go find a couple of umbrellas, but was only able to find one. They huddled closed together as they walked to the nearby bus stop. “You know, we wouldn''t have to ride the bus all the time, if you just got your license so we could ride in that car your dad got you,” Jake announced as they reached the covering of the bus stop.

“Don''t start on that again. That test was hard, I don''t care what you say,” she told him as she held the umbrella and shook off the excess water in Jake''s direction.

“Hey!” Jake protested with a smile. He then said, “Yeah, I''m sure it was hard. . . all four times you took it.”

Trixie glared at him. “You''re just pining for an @$$ whuppin'', aren''t you?” she asked as the bus pulled up and they pulled out their metro cards.

Before long they were on Spud''s block. It was still raining out so they once again shared the umbrella. “What?” Trixie asked after a few minutes.

“What? What?” Jake blinked a few times, utterly confused as they had been traveling in silence.

Trixie laughed softly. “You kind of look like Spud when you do that,” she commented.

Jake didn''t know how to respond that, not really knowing if it was meant as a compliment or an insult, but he had no time to debate the matter as he heard some one screaming at the top of his lungs. “Where the hell is it?” It was Spud.

“shoot,” Trixie whispered, taking Jake''s hand before breaking out into a run. “Come on!” she yelled as Jake seemed to be dragging his feet.

“Arthur, calm down!” yelled his older sister, who was his guardian, as Jake and Trixie made it up the porch stairs.

“No, it has to be found!” Spud yelled back. “She''ll be furious with me if I''ve lost it now!” The two on the porch then heard something crash in the bedroom upstairs where the voices were coming from.

“Spud!” Jake yelled to be heard as he pounded on the front door. Then suddenly all fell silent.

It was a minute or so before Spud''s sister, Johanna, greeted them. “Hey guys,” there was a huge smile on her face, “come on in.” She ushered them in out the rain. “Art- Spud will be down in a minute.”

Trixie and Jake waited in the living room as Johanna headed back upstairs as Spud was coming down. She stopped him as he did so. Jake stared at them as they whispered something among each other. Jake was conflicted and sighed heavily as he murmured. “Ear of the Dragon.”

“. . . need to know. They''re my friends,” Spud spoke.

“I don''t care who they are,” Johanna told Spud angrily. “Just get rid of them. We have a lot to prepare for and not a lot of time left. We can''t afford anymore mistakes, Arthur.” She then continued upstairs.

“What did you hear?” Trixie asked Jake, but he had no time to reply as his dragon ears disappeared and Spud entered the room.

“Uh- hey guys.” Spud looked anxious, nervous even, as he fidget with his fingers. “Did you want to hang out or something? I heard that pizza joint has opened up down on sixty-eighth,” he told them.

“Yeah, we could do that,” Jake replied as he stood up. “But we actually came to return something.” He dug in his pocket. “You dropped this earlier when you were being dragged out of the cafeteria.” Jake pulled out the yo-yo.

Spud''s eyes grew three times their size at the sight of his toy. He started laughing as he literally jumped over the couch that separated him and Jake and knocked the boy back into the chair he was sitting in as he landed on top of him. “I love you so much!” he told his friend excitedly as he took Jake''s face in his hands and kissed him on the lips. “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!” He took the boy in his arms and practically squeezed the life out of him.

Jake reached out for Trixie. “Help,” he mouthed wordlessly.

“Uh-uh,” she shook her head, “this is way too much fun to watch.” She laughed at the sight before her.

Finally, Spud got up off of Jake. Jake took a big breath as he sat up properly in his chair. Spud straightened up and put his toy safely back into his pocket, patting it to make sure it was secure. Spud then placed a huge smile on his face, once again looking carefree. “So how about that pizza?” he asked as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together.

“What''s with you?” Spud turned around as he heard his sister''s voice, who was curious about his expression.

“Jake and Trixie found it,” he explained as he pulled the yo-yo back out and tossed it to her. “It was at the school.”

Johanna sighed in relief as she looked at it in her hands. She then looked back up. “Thank you, guys. Spud will see you tomorrow.”

Spud frowned at her words. “But we were going to go get pizza. Come on, Jo, don''t do this to me now,” he begged her. “I have so little left, just let me spend it with them,” he whispered for only her to hear.

Johanna only looked to Jake and Trixie and repeated her words. The two got up and Johanna walked them to the door. As she closed it, Spud stood a little ways behind her and waved his hand sadly.

“What is home girl trippin'' over?” Trixie ask, glad it had stopped raining, but concerned about Johanna''s behavior. She wasn''t usually so rude to them.

“Beats me.” Jake shrugged as they made their way back to the bus stop, remembering the part of the conversation he had heard between Spud and Johanna. “But whatever is going on, one thing is certain, she wants us. . . left in the dark.”

To Be Continued. . .

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