Knight's Haven

I had never believed in magic. Even as a child, it wasn't something that really made sense to me. There was no scientific explanation for how it would be possible, and no solid proof of anything magical ever happening. This won't be a story of how I believed so hard I went on my own little quest to find the truth and prove everyone wrong. I'm too lazy for that. I just simply didn't believe in magic, until I had no other choice.

Jace Sampson was quite the opposite. He never stopped believing. His fascination on the subject only grew as we got older. There was a time where it had reached the point of being ridiculous. No matter how hard I tried, he would never see the rational side of things, never once thought it was imagination at work. But, when it comes to your best friend, some fights just really aren't worth it. So I let go of the argument and waited. Waited for reality to hit him, and be there to pick up the pieces when his hopes were crushed. He went missing before that ever happened.

Okay, before you get any ideas, this isn't a story about me on a mission to find my best friend either. He did come back, sort of. The puppy like energy was gone, his obsession stronger than any doubt someone could possibly plant in his head, and a certain determination that was, in all honesty, scary. All of that put together, it just wasn't the same. He seemed broken in a way that I couldn't have imagined. Like something inside his head had just snapped.

When he first told me his plan, I had some doubts. I'm sure that doesn't come as much of a surprise. He wanted to take me back to Haven with him, to show me magic, to have me on his side. The ultimate goal: prove to the world that there is something supernatural. Lots of things no one ever believed could really exist. When he was telling me all of this, I figured the closest we would get to that would be some lame old magic tricks from a washed up guy in the worn out old café near the edge of the forest.

Well, as I'm sure you know by now, I was wrong. I lived my entire life only believing what could be proven. I never doubted those skeptic beliefs until I stood just barely in the trees of Haven. The way the atmosphere changes, you can feel the life in the air. It isn't exactly the type of thing I would know how to put into words. It's just something you can feel. Now this, this is where the story really begins.

Jace brought me there for a reason. What was I supposed to do? He'd gone missing for two months, only really telling me that he wanted to take me somewhere at first. It wasn't until after we had left that he explained to me what was going on. At that point, well I figured he may just need someone to keep an eye on him for a little while, and after losing him for that long I didn't want to let the guy out of my sight.

I watched him for a while, taking in the feeling of the atmosphere, smiling wide as he stared up into the trees. Finally, he turned to me, the comforting sight of his smile falling from his face. He looked focused, like he was going through anything that he could say to me. Or maybe like he was practicing in his head exactly what he wanted to say.

"You know what really hurts, Addy?" The corner of his mouth twitched, for a split second almost bringing back his smile. It was almost unsettling to see with it not spreading to his eyes. "You haven't believed a word I've said since I got back, have you? But you can feel it."

My eyes dropped down to my hands, just awkwardly avoiding eye contact with him. "I don't even know what to say man. I mean you know it's not really proof, right?" I will admit that was my own pride talking. Denying the truth even while I had started doubting the lie. "It feels off. I'll give you that."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Jace rolled his eyes. "I was really hoping you would've changed. You're just as stubborn as you were."

"You say that like it's been years. It's been two months. It's not like I can do much changing in that timeframe." I took a few steps farther into the forest, letting my eyes wander around my surroundings. It truly was a beautiful place. I would say picture perfect, but a picture wouldn't do this place justice. Leaves just starting to turn red, rocks placed so perfectly you'd half expect some designer to be in charge of that, sun shining down to hit the moss hanging from the branches of the trees around us. I could even hear the babbling of a stream not too far from where we stood.

Now behind me, I heard Jace let out a sigh. His frustration with me becoming apparent. "Addy, I've met a few people since I left. Like me, mostly. Looking for the truth. But a few skeptics on the way, and still none of them were as infuriating as you." He came up beside me, arms crossed. "It would be just so much easier for you if you would admit you were wrong. I would've liked to have your help for this. You may not have changed, but I think I have."

Well that much I had no doubt about. But when I looked over at Jace, it was clear just how right he was. It was almost like looking at a doppelganger. At first glance he looked like the same Jace that essentially had the personality of a puppy, but the expression he wore was so different. Harder, meaner even.

My inspection was cut short as his head shot around to look behind us. Eyes wide, muscles tensed. Like a cat sensing danger. At first he said nothing. Just stared. When I looked, I saw nothing. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him glance over at me. "Don't bother trying to see her. She's too far. But she is getting close."

There are some times where I wonder if asking questions is really worth it. But with this amount of curiosity, I just wanted to know some things. "She? I'm assuming this is someone you know, and from the sound of it- are we being followed?"

Jace nodded, his facing looking grim. "Skylar." For a moment that's all he bothered to say, as if that would answer everything. "She must be tracking me. Clever, I've been doing the same to her." He felt down his jacket, frowning when one of his hands stopped just above the left pocket. "She's got it in her head I'm some kind of psychotic freak. Tough, narcissistic girl with a hero complex, surely you can see that that isn't good news." As he spoke, he shrugged the jacket off and put it around my shoulders. Apparently I was starting to look cold.

When he finally looked down at me again, it was obvious. Any trace of my old friend was gone. "This is far as you'll be going. I would tell you not to follow me, but I don't think Skylar will be too eager to let you live when the tracker leads to you." His mouth turned up into a dark smile. "You know Addy, I never thought your stubbornness would literally be the death of you. I think there's some kind of humor in that, don't you?"

He turned away, walking farther into the woods. I took just a few moments for this to sink in, for what he was saying to process in my head. Jace was leaving me behind. To him, I was just a decoy. A fake left out to be killed by some girl I'd never even heard him mention.

I realized just how little I knew about his last two months. What he had been up to. But I knew one thing. My friend never would've done this to me before. There is nothing that possibly could've changed him this much, except the anger and frustration of stubborn assholes like me. After all, our fighting is the only time he would ever really get mad. So multiply that by who knows how many people pissed him off, add in the corruption of power, and you may just get someone capable of a betrayal like this.

Standing on the edge of Haven, the feeling of that something extra in the atmosphere, I had my doubts. But now, seeing what had happened to him, all doubt of the mystical had left my mind. The skeptic in me was killed.