Young Writers Society

"Let's go then!" Livvie said, trying to cheer up the mood. She walked into the kitchen. "It's pasta." she winked. "Jason made it... He's a great cook."

Jason's face turned pinkish again and he started setting out the plates on the five seat dining table that was in the large kitchen. He heated the pasta on the oven and as soon as it was done warming up, he put it all in a big bowl and set it on the table. He took out glasses and forks for everyone, setting them neatly.

"Sit." he said, and when he got a look from Livvie, he continued, "Please."

Levi pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, pushing up his glasses yet again - he felt like he needed to do something that countered what he had just said to Jason, but he knew that nothing could ever quite compare to that show of personality.

...And he had been doing so good, too...

Luna also pulled up a seat next to Levi. She quietly said thank you to Jason for the food. There was a thought bugging her at the moment, how did Jason's friend die. There wasn't really anything in the Woods other than harmless animals? She frowned to herself as she thought.

Jason grumbled and sat at the front of the dining table, tossing a fake smile at Livvie.

Livvie sighed. She took a bite of her pasta and moaned. "This is great, Jay!" she said, grinning.

"Thanks." he said quickly, looking down at his food.

Luna sighed. "Jason what if I told you there was a way to get your friend back?" She couldn't hold it in anymore, it pained her to see people in such pain and depression. It wasn't right, and it was only going to drive him and his sister apart.

Jason looked up, narrowing his eyes. "My sister. Ellie. And I'd never talk to you for two reasons." he paused, "First: if you were lying, I wouldn't even bother wasting my time on you. Second: if you're being honest, I would never talk to you out of humility."

Livvie giggled at his answer. "Where'd you learn those words from?"

Jason's answer was simple, "Book." he mumbled, barely loud enough for Livvie to hear only.

He looked at the three seated at the table with him - Luna, Livvie and Jason. Who he truly was too important for this conversation; he couldn't risk one of them finding him while he wasn't older than he had been the last time.

But there was nothing to say that he couldn't tell some of the truth.

And, at this point, it was a little hard not to bring up that if he wanted to convince Jason to help Livvie out.

"There's ways to avoid death," he said. He studied the mostly nonexistent dirt underneath his fingernails. "What Luna is saying isn't impossible - you should listen to it."

Luna gave Levi a grateful look. "His right, I come from a world were magic is real. Even your greatest wish will come true, and I have many ways to prove it." Luna sat back in her chair.

Jason cocked his eyebrow and tilted his head to the side in mock confusion. “Really?” he said.

Then he lost his temper again and slammed the table with his hands, making the dishes go clink. Livvie jumped, letting out a yelp. “Jay, please not right now.” Jason got up and leaned forward, ignoring his friend’s pleads.

He looked at Luna dead in the eye. “Prove it to me in less than two days. Take me to your world. Show me this magic,” he spat out the word, “If you fail to do so, you will leave this world and go to yours. If you win, then you may stay as long as you want.”

Sometimes, he did stupid, impulsive things that he would regret after he was doing being stupid and impulsive. He liked to blame it on his brain - both brains, technically, since adulthood was only a distant dream. But whatever really caused the impulsiveness, he did the impulsive things regardless of the consequences.

This was one of the times.

Darkness shot out of the Jason's chair and wrapped around his waist, jerking him back into his seat before he could further threaten Luna.

"Word of advice," he said. His eyes were now purple instead of green. He shouldn't have done that. Part of him knew that very well, but that part also knew this was just as important as his goal of destroying his old world. "It helps if you're polite to someone when you want something - saying pleases and thank yous will make you a lot more likable than threatening the girl offering to help you."

Livvie gasped. Jason squirmed.

Livvie whipped her head to the left, "Levi, please, don't!"

"Whatever. And I don't care. Are you too scared to accept the challenge, or are you doing this..." he trailed off, realising that what he was about to say was 'magic'. If he had said that, it would've sounded like he believed in magic. "Thing, to make me believe, huh?" he said, blood boiling.

His eyes turned back to green.

"I'm not going to harm him," he reassured Livvie. "I'm just keeping him from lunging at Luna - don't you think he's the more worrisome one out of the two of us right now?"

The darkness unwrapped itself from around Jason, but still remained in the form of tendrils licking the air around his chair - strands every so often brushing up against Jason's legs.

He turned back to Jason.

"And, no, I'm not trying to make you believe," he said. "I might have, but I'm starting to think you're just too thickheaded to see what's right in front of you. I've read every scientific paper and book I could get my hands on. There's only one thing that can explain what I just did - what I'm doing right now - and you know very well what that thing is."

Jason glowered. "I don't." he said, stubbornly. Then shivered when a tendril of the darkness touched his leg ever so slightly.

"Luna. Take me to your world. Show me magic that is not dangerous. And do it in less than two days. Time starts tomorrow morning." he said, crossing his arms on his chest, and lifting his chin up.

Livvie sighed, looking at the ground in shame. Her eyes were welling up with tears and when one slipped, she couldn't hold it any longer. She looked up, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks, "Please don't make my life more miserable than it already is. Please. I don't want anymore fighting." she said quietly, to no one in particular.

Luna was shocked at Levi's reaction to Jason's threat, gently she put a hand on his shoulder. "Levi please remain calm. There is no need for you to jump to my rescue." She gave him a grateful smile, she then turned to Jason, slowly she stood up placing her hands on the table. "Really you want me to show you something that isn't dangerous? Well then I except your offer. But note one thing, if you hurt any of my people, you will not come back to your world. in fact you will never see the light of day again."
Luna slowly sat back down in her seat. Her eyes flashing a deep red.