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Into Duskwood: Chapter 7

This is the longest, most awkward silence in my entire existence.

I remained standing at the far end of the work table, my nerves still not catching up with the information in my brain and remaining in fight or flight mode. Jake, on the other hand, sat properly at the edge of my bed, his arms leaning on his lap, hands clasped together.

We’ve had awkward conversations before, so this is nothing new. However, at this moment when we finally see each other face to face, we are both speechless. Now that we are not mere digital imprints of our consciousness, we both don’t know where to start.

I am just taking in the sight of him in front of me, and oh, what a sight it is. I must admit, he isn’t that bad to look at – better than I expected, actually. Emma would be flipping over when she finds out about this. I can already hear her scream her lungs out the moment she knew. She’d be gushing over this mysterious, silver-haired hacker that made me travel all the way to Duskwood.

But none of those feelings rang true with what I’m feeling right now. This feeling of discomfort nags me from within - a feeling that there's unfinished business, unanswered questions.

My thoughts were interrupted when he started talking.

“You know I’m not very good with small talks.” He said, twiddling his thumbs just to have something to do. “So, I’ll say this to you the way I talk in our conversations.”

I took a deep breath, nodding silently.

He looked up at me, those deep blue eyes mirroring nothing. “This is a mistake. You coming here.”

His words made me stiffen where I stand. I was expecting a different reaction from him. I thought he’d be happy to see me. It made me feel defensive.

I snorted, sneering at him. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.” I closed my fist so hard, my knuckles turned white. “You should’ve thought of that before you left a cryptic message telling me that Hannah’s life is now in my hands.”

“Why are you being sarcastic about this? I just said what I thought you should hear at this moment.” He said, oblivious to the effect of his words. “Yes, I left that message, because I trust you to make the right choices and find Hannah, but not to this extent!” He looked irritated, his voice raised a bit.

I looked away from him, shaking my head in disbelief. “You always say you trust me, but your actions keep saying otherwise.” I looked at him accusingly. “Instead of talking to me directly, you left a puzzle to solve to someone I trust the least and let me be involved with it. You say you’ll tell me everything I need to know, but when that time comes I always find that I’m the last to know about it.” I stepped forward one step, intent on making my point clear. “And now, you tell me to make my own decisions, and when I make one, you tell me it’s wrong?”

He stared at me, frustration showing on his face. If there’s something to notice about seeing Jake face to face, it’s that he’s not one to back down in an argument. “Trust is not the issue here, Maddie. It’s your actions. Have you ever considered that the Man without a Face could be luring you into coming here? Do you see how dangerous that is? Or you just don’t care?”

But then again, neither am I. “Of course, I thought about it! How could I not? He just attacked Jessy in front of my eyes! Never mind whether it’s staged or not, he just showed that he can do more, and if I don’t take a more proactive measure, who knows what he would do next? If he’s chasing me, at least I know he’s not trying to harm anybody else.” I argued. “I always trusted you to take the steps you feel are necessary, even when I don’t understand them. I trusted you when nobody else did, and all I want is that you give me that same level of trust, or is that too much to ask?” I’m not one to shed tears during an argument, but I feel so frustrated that I can’t keep them from welling up.

He looked into my eyes, trying to see the depth of my feelings, but still adamant about his beliefs. “I can understand your frustration, but I hope you also know that I’m doing this for your protection.” he said. After a while he looked to the door, hesitating. “I have to go, I’ve already spent too much time. Will you promise me something? Please tell Lilly that you’re here. I know she’s put us in a bind with what she did, but she’s still my half-sister. She will keep you safe.”

I turned away from him, looking at the dare house through the sliding glass door. I didn’t want to see him leave again. It already hurt when he said goodbye through cryptic messages or just completely disappearing. Now that he’s physically here, it hurts even more.

I hear the doorknob turning, but before he closed the door, I gathered my courage, my voice trembling, “It's not protection that I need, Jake, it's your support.”

I can feel him hesitate, but after a while I hear the door close gently. I close my eyes, letting the tears that welled up pour.

********

That was not what I expected, at all.

I went back to the Dare House, trying to think of my next move, considering that Maddie is here. When I realized that it was her, all thoughts left my body and I just wanted to hold her in my arms to feel that she’s real. Somehow, I could feel her hesitation – that there’s something holding her back, even when I’m already in front of her.

I wanted to tell her that I totally understand where she’s coming from. It’s easy to feel unsure of your decisions when no one believes in your ability to make them. But I must impress upon her how dangerous being in Duskwood is for her. I know it because I’ve been in that situation before, and it’s not pleasant. Alas, the very first meeting with someone I actually like, and it was a complete disaster.

It's not protection that I need, Jake, it's your support. That statement ran through my head over and over again, and I realized that maybe I’ve failed her in that aspect. Maybe I should have asked her plan first? I held my head in defeat, thinking of ways to make amends.

Five gentle taps on the door of the dare house alerted me to Old Gray leaving a package. We made that signal so I can differentiate him from the children doing the blasted dare. I went to the door, opening it slightly. I noticed a paper bag of what must be food from the motel. It was still warm. Inside was a note, written in Old Gray’s writing.

I’m not sure how she knew about us, but she called for me after you left and ordered some food. She said to take it to the vampire in the Dare House. She must’ve heard it from Alfie.

P.S. Just an advice from an old man, whatever argument you had with her, rectify it immediately. She looks tough, but she has a soft spot for you.

Don’t let that go.

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