Due to a smattering of storms and other unexpected circumstances, it took us twice as long to get back to our little base of operations as it had taken to get to the city. Add to that the fact that we had to kill an entire weekend in the city before being told where to go next, and we were running out of days to get the boon.

Then Maguire offered to be the one to drive back.

“Our original clue included something about taking the road less traveled,” he explained. “That has to mean something, and I haven’t traveled quite as many roads as you have. And if we take an indirect path, it’ll better fit that first instruction. I could just be grasping at straws, but it has to bear some significance that Clever used that specific passage.”

“It is one of his more well known poems, but that would be very much on brand for Clever. If you feel comfortable handling the drive back, the keys are yours. You've shown yourself to be a pretty good driver so far, and I can always take over if you need a break.”

He handled the drive pretty well, considering Clever kept messing with our GPS directions to take us the most round-about path possible and it rained nearly the whole time. Flooding forced us to stop more than once, causing the trip to take days when it could have taken hours.

The morning following our return, I found a vase of flowers sitting on the counter with a note tucked underneath it.

“Another goose chase?” Maguire asked.

“Possibly,” I replied, flipping the card over. “Huh. Seems this safehouse has another secret room down in the basement. I thought I had found them all.”

“Could that be where our boon is?”

“Possibly. I'm going to need some coffee before we go find whatever is there for us. And maybe some breakfast. I'm still wiped after that road trip.”

“I think there are some waffles in the freezer.”

“Ohhh perfect. You heat those up, I’ll get the peanut butter.”

Maguire gave me a quizzical look. “Peanut butter?”

“Just trust me.”

The waffles finished cooking as the coffee finished brewing and we enjoyed a quiet, but filling breakfast. Then we went to go and find the secret room down in the basement. I held back while Maguire took the lead, quickly finding the correct tile to press. To my surprise, the wall itself slid away, revealing a second wall with a very different mural.

This mural was made with iridescent, somewhat reflective tiles, portraying a faceless figure with his hands held out like looking to embrace a friend.

“The situation must be more serious than I expected,” I muttered.

“What makes you say that?”

“This is perhaps one of the most reclusive Originals out there. This is Just Jack, or the First Jack, believed to be the first trickster. Legend has it that if you stand in front of his mural, you will see what of him lives in you and he will tell you something.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Maguire nodded, eyes locked on the mural. I stepped back, giving him the space he needed to step in front and see what he might find. I felt more than I saw the change, the shift in the air as something happened beyond what I could wrap my head around. After what felt like a few moments but could have been a few hours, the stillness broke and Maguire staggered back, shaking his head.

I stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulders to steady him. He turned to look at me, eyes slowly starting to regain their focus.

“Are you alright?” I asked gently.

“I…yeah, it was just a lot. Very intense. He wants to talk to you.”

“Oh, okay.”

“If you need me, I'll be in the living room. I need to lie down.”

I wordlessly patted Maguire on the arm as he turned to leave, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Just Jack wanted to talk to me. A figure I had never met before, who only showed his face when things were dire, had a message he sought to deliver to me in person.

The door closed behind Maguire, and I stepped in front of the mural. The second my reflection lined up with the figure’s face, the world shifted.

I honestly don’t remember exactly what happened while I spoke with Just Jack. All I know is the second it ended, I knew I had learned many important things that I would probably remember whenever I needed to remember them. I also had to brace myself against the wall for a few minutes until the room stopped spinning.

Once I felt steady enough, I made my way back upstairs and joined Maguire in the living room, stopping by the kitchen to grab some snacks. He was lying on the couch with his arm over his eyes, so I settled into the plush chair next to him.

After a period of mindless silence, I turned the TV on, which woke Maguire from his unplanned nap. He glanced up at me as if awaiting some sort of explanation.

“We are taking today off. Maybe tomorrow too,” I said. “I need a brain break and you could use a chance to absorb some low stakes media.”

“I won’t argue with that. Might grab a snack, though.”

“There’s a stash of cookies hidden behind the pasta boxes. Grab two. I think we both deserve a box after the adventure we have had.”

“Definitely not arguing with that either. I take it that’s not the only stash?”

“Not by a long shot,” I scoffed. I surfed through some of our movie choices while he collected the cookies. Part of my mind still reeled from my conversation with Just Jack, but there was only really one part of it that I could bring myself to focus on.

“I may have a way to get them all back,” I said as Maguire walked back into the room.

“The Jacks?”

“Yep. The society. Everyone who disappeared. It won’t be easy and we still need to figure out why it happened to make sure it doesn’t happen again but…he showed me how to do it.”

“Sounds like we have ourselves a project.” Maguire set the packs of cookies and two sodas on the table between us before sitting back down on the couch. I grabbed a pack and a drink and handed him the remote, so he could select a movie.

“The life of a Jack is many things, but it is never dull. That doesn’t mean we can’t take a break before diving back into the chaos,” I said. I started methodically munching on the cookies while Maguire scrolled through his options before finally settling on what looked to be a rather light-hearted series.

“We will figure this out,” he said as the commercials started to roll. “You and me. Two Jacks can work miracles, or so they say.”

“It’s good to not be alone anymore.”