Scarlet walked through the dark corridor of the kay mansion trying to find the kitchen.
She couldn't find any sleep after what the memory of young Agatha said to her about the war of the worlds and how she can only stop it after finding Argus. But where was Argus?
Possibly somewhere in New York if she was lucky enough. She finally found the kitchen which was jaw-dropping huge almost the size of her apartment back in New York or even the same size.
She hadn't seen it before because everything was done by the servants from serving food to doing dishes to put it in simple terms she was being treated like a royal and did nothing related to chores.
She reached out for the refrigerator door and picked out a bottle of fresh milk. It always put her to sleep whenever she had insomnia, and then sat at the counter and began drinking straight from the bottle shoving it down as if she was gulping water.
"You know for a girl those are some serious drinking skills," said a familiar voice.
The kitchen lights were switched on by Jack who was also in pajamas. Scarlet rushed to pull the milk bottle from her mouth and ended up spilling it all over the counter and on herself,
"Shit shit shit..." she cursed placing the bottle on the counter and holding a napkin to clean her t-shirt.
Jack loudly laughed at Scarlet. He knew she had social anxiety and so she would have a series of nervous breakdowns like the one she was having currently,
"Why the fuck are you here? Aren't you supposed to be normal and sleep?" she lashed out at him.
"Well, my good friend I couldn't sleep so I came down here for a midnight snack, and then I found you," he shrugged, "I didn't know you would end jumping like so I am sorry."
she cooled down once she heard his apology, "Okay, you're forgiven even after ruining my favorite pajamas." she said heading back to her bottle of milk as Jack walked to the refrigerator pulled out a cold slice of sausage pizza, and sat on the opposite side of the kitchen counter facing each other,
"Aren't you going to warm that up," she asked as he grabbed a soda.
"Naaaa...I can't go through all that trouble when I can do this," he then picked up the slice, raised it close to his face, and started blowing warm air on it from his mouth.
Scarlet looked at him doing it with disgust. When he was done he placed it on a plate and prepared to eat his now warmed-up snack,
"Of course, you use the disgusting method," she mentioned,
Jack laughed, "What? You expect me to walk up to the microwave and wait yet I have fire breath,"
"Yes. At least it would be ethical of you."
Jack said nothing following that.
Scarlet and Jack had history. She had a huge crush on him back in high school and on confessing her true feelings to him she was heartbroken by his words that they should rather stay friends and since then there has been a little awkwardness. Being alone together made her remember that day it pissed her off and still hurt up to date but she couldn't do anything about it apart from accepting that he was close to her without Alex and nothing more.
"How's Switzerland going for you?" he asked trying to start a conversation,
"Oh it's a beautiful experience though I wanted to be here with vacation goals I got to hide from creepy headmaster how more bad can this get," he smirked amused by her sense of humor,
"Well I have seen worse," he said taking in a piece from his pizza.
"Like?"
"Zombies, Aliens, evil wizards who want to kill everyone-".
"Stop right there just because you've traveled through worlds doesn't mean you've seen worse," she said. They both laughed since it had been a long time being like this as friends.
"Am going back to New York." Scarlet suddenly killed the mood.
"No, you can't go back you can't go back to New York Hayward is looking for you. And I don't know if you've even mastered ten spells," he was concerned,
Scarlet was aware of the dangers but she needed answers and if whatever the memory said was true then she had to do this to save her friends and family. "I know I don't even know ten spells but if I don't do this Jack the world may end."
Jack had never seen her like this worried and scared this had to be serious, "What is so important to take you back to the death trap of New York?" he asked.
"There is a boy I meet in a dream the day I returned with Alex he was about fifteen or fourteen am not so sure but I felt so connected to him like I have ever met him and am starting to know why."
"Why?"
"We both have the power of chaos. Jack, the boy is a Chaos lord named Argus." he dropped his slice on the counter, "Argus? Are you sure it's Argus and is a Chaos Lord?"
Scarlet nodded,
"Then am coming with you. This may be bigger than we thought," he responded.
Scarlet was relieved to hear that because she needed a high skilled magic user to help out in her quest and a jumper of which Jack was both.
"Thank you so much, Jack. You don't know how much this means to me."
"Hey, anything to help out a friend." he smiled sadly with the fear that Scarlet might be walking into a death trap orchestrated by Hayward. He knew that Hayward would go as far as that to get what he wants but he wasn't going to let him lay a finger on Scarlet's hair he promised to himself as he faced her,
"So when are we going?" he asked,
"Tomorrow at the break of dawn when Leon and my aunt are off to Singapore. They will be gone for three days because it also includes London and Spain a day for each. Enough time for us to go into New York and search for Argus."
"When did you plan this? And how sure are you his in New York?"
"I feel him and his in New York right now not sure where exactly. So just trust me when I say I know," her milk was finally done she had finished it a while back but was still drowned in her conversation with Jack.
"Anyway, I think it's time I get some sleep." she then stood up from her seat and prepared to stroll back to her room. She tapped him on the shoulder, "Goodnight Jack."
"Same to you Scar."
She smiled on hearing that Jack had used the nickname he used to call her back in high school,
"Thought you forgot that name."
"Well, I didn't," he answered.
That put a smile on Scarlet's face before she continued upstairs.
.
.
.
.
It was almost nightfall and as she had planned it was time to leave. She packed most of the important things like food, water, cash to pay for accommodation when in New York, and extra clothes.
She then ran to the meeting point to find Jack and jump to New York but instead found him with Alex who was also wearing a backpack.
"What the-"
"Before you say anything I want to help."
Scarlet couldn't believe that Alex had just said that,
"You as in Alex Kay want to go against her father's rules and help," she turned to Jack who was as confused with what was going on as her.
Alex looked at the both of them with her mouth wide open from shock, "Oh my god, you guys weren't going to call me were you?"
Jack and Scarlet just rolled their eyes trying to avoid her tough gaze,
"Let's just go," she snorted then just walked passed both of them angrily while swinging her arms left and right.
"How did she find out?" Scarlet whispered to Jack,
"Mind touch." whispered Jack back, "we do it every morning as a way of training our mental stamina." they both looked at Alex who had not gone far but a fair distance from them.
"Before you go any further do you even know where exactly where we going or you are just walking to nowhere," Jack called out to Alex who stopped after realizing she had no idea where they were going.
Jack and Scarlet then walked up to her, her face still red from rage. Jack knew better not to say anything when his sister was in rage mode because he knew the consequences,
"Well, where are we jumping to?" she asked Scarlet
"Oh, New York Manhattan we will start there." she looked at the sky and it was almost nighttime, "and we need to go now it's almost dark."
"Then let's go I don't have all night." Alex put out both her hands for them to hold on to, they held each other's forming something that appeared to be a three-pointed star.
"Am going to mind touch each one of you at the same time so that none of us gets lost when jumping," Alex warned before doing anything else, she was waiting for Scarlet's authorization.
"Do it." Scarlet nodded and then felt an intrusion in her mind, she could now feel both Alex and Jack's thoughts and at the same time see all their memories the feeling was astonishing.
A beam of light started growing underneath their feet she could feel it begin to engulf them from below going upwards.
Scarlet gasped as she faced the sky.
"Don't panic Scar. This is just how you jump from a country with more than one person." Jack sounded in her mind.
She then closed her eyes and let the light engulf her whole. Her mind went blank and all she could hear and feel was whooshing as they cut through the air and the feel of cold air moving across her face till it all suddenly calmed down to warm air and the sound of blaring sirens and car horns.
Scarlet opened her eyes and they were on a rooftop of a building. Underneath was a street with pedestrians, and judging by the noise and commotion down she knew they were in New York and there was no time to waste since they only had three days.
She let go of both Alex and Jack and then stared at the yellow sunrise. The feeling of New York air had a different ring to it that made her feel alive. this had been her home for the past sixteen years.
"Let's go find Argus," she adjusted her bag and walked to the roof exit, "Follow me. I think I know where he might be. "