Jess did not enjoy the silence that ensued over the course of the trip. Not that she expected the guards to talk at all or that she didn't enjoy silence, it was just that she expected Arnold to, y'know, spill the beans. Why did I agree to come with him not even knowing what he could do to me? Stupid Jessica, stupid. Well, it was for my parents... geez, how am I going to get out of this mess?
"So...," she trailed off and Arnold peered at her through the rear-view. He had an eyebrow raised. Was his gaze this intimidating as she remembered? "Uh, what spells did you have planned for me to show you?" She dodged her original question in mind, but didn't not want this answer either. She had to prepare herself after all.
"Let's go with your favorites, and of course what our researchers request," Arnold smirked slightly, but you couldn't tell if it was him amused or something secretive.
"You are aware that I left my wand at home, correct? And my runes and cards and crystals?" Arnold's smirk grew larger.
"We got it covered. Your parents ever so graciously handed them over to us." I see.
"And why did they do that, if I may ask?" Jess crossed her arms and slightly stiffened up, feeling defensive. Arnold shrugged, still smiling.
"I couldn't tell you, but they were more eager to try to send us on our way without you after they gave us your stuff." Maybe they tried to protect me, hoping Arnold'd be satisfied with just my tools. Clearly, that didn't happen. "Say, I have to ask you somethin'. Human to human for a sec."
"Uh huh?" What could be the harm, especially if this could go undocumented?
"Do you believe in the other species that inhabit this planet?" Jess shuffled, uncomfortable.
"If you mean the animals and plants, of course. I see them every day." Arnold shook his head and turned to look her in the eye. Jess didn't know why, but this action caught her off guard.
"I know you know what I mean, Jessica." How could Jess answer that? Of course she believed in the other species, but admitting it would make her look crazy. But if anyone would know if they're real, it would be this guy. Wouldn't it? I shouldn't look crazy if they truly are real, and I know they are. Jess faked a huff.
"And what if I do?" Arnold shrugged.
"Then I wouldn't blame ya. There's a lot of evidence to support the idea that they exist." Jess nodded slowly, still not liking where this was going.
"May I ask why you are asking me this?" Arnold nodded.
"Well, just between you and me, the government believes there could be ties between the other species of this planet and the drainage of human magic."
"So they are real..." Jess whispered breathlessly. She cleared her throat. "How do you know they exist?" He shrugged.
"I'm afraid I do not have the clearance to explain that to you just yet, but if you agree to work with us, I'm sure we can reach an agreement to inform you."
"Agree to work with you? Have I not already done that?" Arnold shook his head slightly.
"Well, yes and no. You agreed to come with us, but we'd still need your consent to, uh, how do I put this? Run tests?" Jess cocked an eyebrow.
"So I'd have to agree to be a lab rat? Wouldn't that go against the whole 'you can go home after we're done watching you perform magic?'"
"I mean, well, you'd still go home! Just after they're done." Jess couldn't believe this guy. I'm not staying anywhere for months at a time just to please this guy.
"In that case I do not currently intend on giving you all my consent for that. I'm already probably wanted by other humans right now for the black market or something. I can't have my parents in danger."
"Oh don't worry about that! We have them protected."
"How?" Jess asked more quickly than she intended, causing Arnold to chuckle.
"Not for you to worry about, Jess. Just know that we intend to keep them safe until you safely return home." Jess started tapping her foot nervously. Arnold looked down at the noise and then peered up at her eyes, which were filled with worry. Suddenly, Arnold's facade seemed to be lost. "Hey," he tried to speak with her in a calming manner. "Calm down, Jess. It'll all be figured out. If I could tell ya I would, okay?" Jess just studied the man in front of her, but slowly focused on something else as her mind calmed down to hone in on her new thoughts. Arnold beamed, seeming proud of himself as Jess slowly stopped tapping. Why can't I figure you out?
Suddenly, the car slowed to a stop.
"Ah! We're here! Come along now, I promise they're real nice!" Arnold called from outside of the car. Why am I suddenly so scared? Clearing her throat to keep her voice from sounding shaky, she ran a hand through the back of her hair and kept herself from biting her lip.
She exited the car and followed Arnold down some rather steep stairs to what looked like an underground version of the state capital building.
That's where she saw them. The other species.
Jess kept herself from gasping as she glanced up to find fairies, demons, and angels flying about urgently. She looked to her right and saw a group of sirens and ghosts laughing with each other. What the hell? After all this time I never really knew. They were just under the STATE CAPITAL?
"You feeling alright there, Jess?" Arnold looked back to check on you. Jess hadn't realized she was staring and nervously laughed as the sirens looked at her with confused expressions. A blush rose to her cheeks as she awkwardly waved at them. They didn't wave back. "Jess?"
"Well if you just saw whatever that was, you can infer that I am in fact not feeling alright," Jess tried not to get upset when Arnold laughed at her.
"Oh pay no mind to them. They're probably just confused as to why they're watching a young woman being escorted by me and some guards is all." It took every bit of self control Jess had to not let her face change into something Arnold might deem rude. He chuckled regardless. "Anyway, here we are!"
Jess nearly bumped into him in awe. It looked like a Victorian style home, not a lab. As white pillars rose to the underground ceiling, the walls of the building were a pretty shade of lilac. This can't be a lab.
"Now I know what you're thinking. 'This can't be a lab, Arnold!' Well, let me remind you that it is, and now," Arnold swiped some key cards to open the door. "We go in!"
Jess heard whispers behind her. She knew she shouldn't have turned to look, but she did anyway. It seemed as though everyone had stopped what they were doing to talk about her. Even the species in the sky stopped mid-flight just to talk about her. This couldn't have been something normal they saw, right? What else would cause this reaction?
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Her eyes locked with a particularly large demon without wings. All six of his red eyes were trained on her, and his dark brown locks fell to his mid back. He had a white button-down on. His skin was dark, but his horns looked like a ram's and were shining white. What's the story behind that? His face darkened ever so slightly when they locked eyes, and Jess had to remind herself that she was perfectly capable. Or was she? No, she couldn't doubt herself, or even think that this would result in a fight. With a sigh, she smiled at the demon, but he simply scowled and looked away.
"Now didn't I tell you to pay them no mind, Jessica?" Arnold cut through Jess' thoughts and she whirled around, smiling sheepishly. He laughed slightly at her before showing off the door, as if asking her to go first. "After you, deary!"
"I hope you realize I don't know where I'm going," Jess joked at him. Maybe it was out of embarrassment, but she didn't know how she could lighten up so fast. She just knew it had something to do with the six eyes boring into the back of her head. Arnold laughed with her, Jess' laugh being like the sound of bells. It was lighthearted and full of life. Arnold had to stop a moment, seemingly to listen. Jess cleared her throat at him, smiling through the awkwardness of what just happened and stepped through the threshold.
Inside it looked more like a therapist's office than a lab. Surely there's something else behind those walls. She stepped into what appeared to be a waiting room.
"Hello, can I help you?" A woman's voice sounded to the right. Jess' head snapped to the sound and found a human woman sitting at a desk behind a sheet of glass. She heard footsteps behind her.
"She's with me, Rachel," Arnold stepped through the doorway.
"O-oh! Alright, let me open the door for you then, sir." Stuttered and looking a little frantic, Rachel the receptionist clicked a button, causing a light Jess didn't see to turn green next to the door.
"Well? Go ahead, Miss Brown." Jess, with one look back at Arnold, took a breath and opened the door for them.
She peeked her head inside and found what looked like a real lab. White walls and tiled floors leading to twisting and turning hallways Jess couldn't see the end of. Every doorway had a light above it with a red color to it. Must mean they're in use or something, but what could they be testing in here? Surely it's something they'd tell me, right?
"-ss Brown? Hellooo?" Arnold waved a hand in front of Jess' face and she laughed slightly, upset at herself for getting caught.
"Sorry, I didn't know where to go," she admitted and Arnold shook his head, smiling.
"I was tryin' to explain it to ya! Here, follow me, Jessica." Arnold started leading her down a hallway. Jess thought about leaving, the fear of the unknown stopping her, but the guards staring her down made her think otherwise. In a hurry for fear of getting lost, Jess caught up to Arnold.
He led her to a door with a green light above it and led her inside. It reminded her of a doctor's office room except it was huge. Aside from the small bed and chair, there was a pond in the corner with some trees lining the outside rim of the room. Sand was immediately to her left and decayed buildings to her right. The ceiling was tall and Jess couldn't even see it if she looked up. How does this even fit in here? In the wall opposite of her was a window with what appeared to be researchers behind it. They wore what one would assume a stereotypical scientist getup: white lab coat, gloves, and goggles.
"Taking it all in still?" Arnold chuckled at her.
"Uh, kind of. I think I'm good now, sir," Jess admitted to him and turned around to face him. Arnold nodded, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.
"Excellent! I have something for you." He motioned to one of the guards and Jess saw her favorite duffel bag.
"My tools?" Jess asked, excited. She bounced on her heels, causing Arnold to laugh.
"Yes! You'll need them, correct?"
"I mean, yes and no. There are things I can do using my own energy just as is, but there are some tools I need to do specific things." Jess shrugged and Arnold stopped for a second, a thinking look plastered on his face. It was Jess' turn to wave a hand in front of him. "Sir?"
"Oh! Don't mind me. It just seems as though you are more powerful than the witches we knew long ago. I can't wait to see what you can do." Arnold gently placed the duffel back in Jess' arms, her eyes wide. "Ta ta!" He called over his shoulder as he and the guards left. Once the door closed, Jess turned to face the window to find all the researchers looking at her.
"Yes?" Jess laughed nervously. A researcher seemed to snap out of it and hit a button.
"Hello! I am a researcher here at the State Capital. It is a pleasure to meet you, Jess. Why don't you unpack your things and we'll get started?"
"Uh, okay. Sounds good." A feeling of unease trickled along Jess' spine as she unpacked her duffel bag, but it vanished as soon as she touched her wand. It was about a foot long, stripped of bark, and handmade by herself out of natural materials. She used a woodburner to carve sigils into the wood and used orangey yellow yarn to create a handle. Wires held a blue goldstone on the end, the wishing crystal. She held it close to her and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She gently placed it into her back pocket and took out her runes, tarot cards, and box of crystals. The tarot cards wouldn't really be useful at this moment, as they were really used for divination, but Jess digressed. Feeling more confident, Jess stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "What did you want to see first?"
"Well, can we start with something simple? Summoning light maybe?"
"Oh, sure!" This was one of Jess' favorites to use at night when writing or journaling. She took her wand out of her pocket and pointed it to the sky, picturing her energy flowing into the wand and it becoming a burst of light. Once she released it, a spark of light escaped from her wand and popped like a firework into the room. The researchers, surprised, immediately either stood in awe or clapped. She couldn't hear them, but she saw them, and it caused a light dusting of red to cover her cheeks.
"You're the, uh, truly the real deal there, Jessica." She watched the researcher's eyes follow the remaining bits of light fizzle out and disappear. "Do you mind explaining to us how that works?"
"Um, sure! I have no problem with that. I use and channel my energy through the wand, imagining what I want to happen, and then, uh, release it? I know it doesn't make much sense, hehe..." Jess trailed off when she saw the confusion on the researcher's face. Then, the researcher nodded.
"Okay. How about you summon the elements with your wand, so we can study it more."
"Oh I can do that without my wand!" Jess laughed, happy to gloat a little.
"...What?"
"I mean, yeah, here." Jess took a deep breath and wiggled her fingers, causing them to crackle and fire erupted in her palm. It was blue on the bottom and orangey red at the tip, but it never burned her.
"Jessica, was one of your parents maybe a, um, powerful demon?" Jess laughed at her absurdity, but felt slightly confused.
"No, they are both human, ma'am."
"Is there... anything else you can do without your tools?"
"I mean, yeah? What did you want to see?" Jess imagined the fire dissipating and so it did.
"Anything you can do without your wand. Just to make sure we're on the same page, please put it away." The serious tone of the researcher concerned Jess. What are they going for here?
"If you say so..." Jess trailed off.
She focused on the pond in the right corner. Pretending her arms were a part of the liquid, she moved them around and the once still water followed her. She thrust her right arm into the air, and the water followed, propelling out of the pond. Squeezing her hand into a fist, the water froze where it was. She slashed her arm into the air, and the ice block snapped in half. She smoothly wiggled her fingers, and the water dissipated into its original form, filling the pond once more.
When the researchers didn't say anything. She felt the ground beneath her and took in a sharp breath, and stomped. The ground under her foot cracked. She then walked over to a tree, tapped it, and it grew higher than the others, reaching for the ceiling in a new way.
Still, the researchers said nothing. Jess nervously flicked her eyes back and forth as she looked over to the sand and the researchers. Running a hand through her hair, she walked over to the sand, and with a flick on her wrist, the air around the sand twisted into a small tornado and flew into the air. With a chuckle, she let it go, but sand got in her eyes.
"Aw man!" She groaned and summoned water from the pond and cleaned her eyes.
"A-are you alright Miss Brown?" The researcher asked as Jess put the water back.
"Yes ma'am, I just got sand in my eyes." Jess laughed. "A-anyway, this one is my favorite."
She took a very deep breath and pictured a wendigo, a creature she knew to be extinct. Folding her hands into a square, she felt a glow in her eyes as the air whirled around the spectral image of a wendigo. She smiled, content with herself and the wendigo ghost looked around. It roared and Jess laughed. She gently stroked the skeletal fur and it stared down at her, knowing it was under her control. It cocked its head at her, seeming to enjoy the attention.
"Aw, aren't you just a big softy!" Jess hugged it, never feeling fear. This creature could not hurt her even if it tried. Once she separated from it, she folded her hands into a square once more and separated them, waving the wendigo goodbye as its energy was released back into the universe.
"M-Miss B-Brown. I believe w-we need t-to talk," the researcher stuttered.