"Well, isn't just this a nice change of scenery?"

"We're in a prison cell."

"I was being sarcastic."

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. Unable to do anything to escape Ivor and Lukas's bickering. Hopefully Petra and that strange Milo guy are being more productive than we are.

"You're the one who got us thrown in here in the first place, so why are you complaining?"

"I wasn't complaining, I was being sarcastic."

"That's basically the same the thing."

"No it's not! They have two completely separate names for each other!"

"Ivor, please don't act like Soren. I have enough of a headache with just you."

"Please, Soren would be pretending he knows what to do right now. I'm being realistic."

"No you're not, you're being a pain."

"Would you rather just stew in misery in silence?"

"I'm seriously considering it."

"Well that's just rude."

"I don't think you right to say that, not in this situation at least."

I snap my head over to them, extremely irritated. "And I'm taking away both of your rights to speak! I don't want to hear another word from either of you."

Both of them have the decency to look ashamed, and I huff in exasperation as I turn away from them. I've got to think. There's a lot of things to think about when you're on a floating island in another world and the only clue you have to get back home is in the hands of someone who is not mentally stable in the slightest.

First things first though, getting out of this cell. And not thinking about how frustrating the Founder was by throwing us in here. Building a bridge out of materials she didn't even have, she should be happy that she could now access those blocks instead being furious we rearranged them to be something useful.

I shake the thoughts out, starring at the iron bars instead. Our stuff is literally just across the hallway from here, we just have to break these bars or maybe the door. After that... well, I don't really know.

My eyes flicker all over trying to find a weak point, my thoughts drifting over to Petra. She's strong and capable, in our world at least. Hopefully she's doing fine, but there isn't a whole of resources she can scavenge up nor does she know the terrain of this area at all.

Those thoughts die down when I spot some loose cobble no longer properly holding the iron bar in place. It probably wouldn't take too much force to loosen it. Then just one of us would have to squeeze through and open the door. Simple.

I draw in a breath, ready to say my plan to the others, when I hesitate. As much as I hate being in this cell right now, we have no clue where to go. This isn't our world, and the Founder has very clearly shown it doesn't function like ours. There are serious gaps of common sense in this place. 

My fists clench, and I just can't hold back a scowl at how the Founder completely believed everything Aiden said. He's totally sucking up, exaggerating it to the point where it's painfully obvious. And how does she even see someone trustworthy in him? They're dressed up like bandits and they have no actual evidence for anything they say! She should be treating us on the same level!

But complaining about that doesn't solve the original problem, what to do when we get out. I know Ivor's going to want the Eversource, Lukas will want justice to be brought down on Aiden, same goes for Petra, but I just want to get us home. 

This isn't a very big island, surely the portal home shouldn't be too hard to find? Find it, light it once we deal with Aiden, and get back home. Axel and Olivia probably haven't started to worry yet, unless there's some weird time thing also going on, and I would like to get back before they do. It feels strange to be apart from them for so long, it's been ages since we've been apart and always there for each for really stressful situations like these.

A worm of guilt crawls into my stomach, upsetting the whole organ. It's selfish though, to just leave these people like this when I know they have such a bad lifestyle. I suppose they could come through the portal with us, but these people are scared of building. I doubt they're going to be willing to travel to a new land.

And there's just no talking to the Founder! Her entire speech was like she's a victim! Even if the Eversource didn't exist and doesn't provide limitless resources, that shouldn't matter. Go to the surrounding mini islands with wood or cobble, gather up all the dirt, and make larger fields! Make a grinder to farm bone meal and then feeding the people shouldn't be a problem. Grow more trees, expand the island with wood as the ground. And for goodness sake don't memorialize a huge chuck of what land you have for some garden when you 'need' more resources!

I stand up, shaking those thoughts away. Hopefully that Milo character Petra went with is well liked or something. That way the Founder can be overthrown and a better lifestyle can be created. I'm willing to help with that, if they're willing to listen.

"Lukas, Ivor, it's time-"

"Well, well, well..." All my muscles tighten with rage when I hear that no good bully's voice. "It looks like you're finally where you belong Jesse."

My composure quickly begins to crack against the strain of fury boiling within me. Slowly I turn to him, clenching my jaw so hard in order not to just shake in all the anger running through my veins.

"I can't believe you Aiden!" Lukas scowls, crossing his arms. "I can't believe you're willing to go this far for what? Envy?"

The bully's face crinkles up, almost as if he were disgusted to hear the truth. I can feel every drop of hate burning throughout my body, my heart slamming against my lungs as my cells seethe to take this guy down.

"Revenge, that's what. You so called heroes are thieves! You took everything the world was suppose to give to me! You took-"

"And how come you deserved that stuff in the first place?" I march over to where the loose bar is, hoping I look like I'm turning my back on him. "What did you give to earn that? Did you try the hardest? Or do you just feel like your every existence entitles you to stuff other people have to work for?"

"Why you little loser!" I grit my teeth harder not to look at Aiden as I hear the hiss of his blade come out. "You were given all the respect! All the treasures! You did nothing and you got it! You stole it from me!"

"Aiden..." I slowly turn to him, letting all my rage radiate from my eyes, my throat gruff as I struggle to contain all the fury burning inside me. "I lost my best friend... after days of not eating... watching everything fall apart and having to fix it with no chance to rest... I lost him at the very moment all the problems were suppose to be solved."

I stalk up to the bars, my leg so ready to kick it down. "What did you do to solve those problems? Run? Save yourself first and foremost? Curse the world for not making things easy and then whine that there's no one around that you can cheat off of?"

Aiden actually recoils, his own hate pouring out of his sickly green eyes. His breaths get dramatically loud, and his arms shake in an uncontrollable anger. And then he huffs, stepping right up against the bars.

"I don't have to take this from you. Because this world is mine, MINE! Not yours Jesse."

I smirk at him, my hate screaming to take this guy down. "You sure about that?"

Aiden scoffs, gesturing to the bars thinking he's talking to an idiot. "Can't see the bars you're trapped-"

My arm launches between the bars, and I use every fiber of rage fueled muscles to jerk him into the iron bars. Adrenaline floods into me as I see the loose bar wiggle out of place above me, not broken though.

"You'll-" I shove with all my might against Aiden, knocking him down to the floor. Blazing with strength, I kick the bar out of place. Kicking it again and again until the whole thing falls, right on top of Aiden.

I hear him curse over the pounding of my heart, as I desperately try to squeeze through the space as quickly as possible. It's a bit tighter than I expected and it takes me a bit longer than it should have.

Right as I squeeze through, Aiden's fist slams against my face. I stagger back, the whole side of my face numb and heavy, as he pins me against the bars. Ivor and Lukas yelling right behind me.

"Oh no you don't Jesse! You're not ruining this for me!"

"Well then consider it payback for ruining my nose with your awful breath!" I head-butt him, hard enough to where vision dims black and fuzzy. But he loosens his grip for a spilt second, and I drive my knee right into his groin.

Ivor laughs loudly. "You're never gonna have kids now jerk!"

Despite one part of me screaming to get my sword, I instantly charge at the bent over groaning Aiden. A moment too late his head comes up with wide eyes, a moment too late to stop my fist from smashing down right into his temple. And then a quick jab in the nose from my other fist to knock him right to the ground.

Like a sack of potatoes his body crashes against the ground. Scowling and prepared for him to be faking it, I bend over and open his eyelids. His pupils take a moment to dilate correctly, and the flicker dully at nothing. He's not waking up for awhile.

"Is he out?" I glance up at Lukas, who has squeezed himself through and is holding my sword for me.

I nod and open my mouth-

"Of course he is! Didn't you see Jesse just knock the living daylights out of him? Incredible!"

I just roll my eyes as I stand up, Lukas giving me back my sword. "Aiden's down and out, at least for awhile."

"Did you check for the flint and steel?" I sigh and bend back down to check Aiden's pockets. Although this is great, finally having our ticket home in our hands, I can't scrape away the remaining shards of hate. Still there, unsatisfied.  

And those shards blow right back up when I don't find the flint and steel. Scowling, I check again. But nothing! Aiden's pockets are empty.

My face remains crinkled in a scowl when I stand back up. "He doesn't have it on him, Gill or Maya must have it."

"Impossible." Lukas shakes head, eyes furrowed together. "Aiden would never entrust or share something so valuable and important to them. He's way too greedy for that."

"Blah! Who else would have it? Mr. Kiss Up wouldn't exactly be letting the Founder borrow it."

I shake my head, not wanting to deal with yet another problem. "Okay, let's just get him into a cell and figure it out once we find Petra."

Lukas nods and grabs his legs while I grab his arms, unsheathing his sword first and casting it on the ground.

"You know Jesse?" I glance up at him as Aiden's lower body drags across the ground, Ivor opening up the other undamaged cell. "Aiden probably hid the flint and steel. Especially if he thinks some of the guards don't trust him."

"That's great and all." We toss him into the cell, and I'm quite satisfied to hear the door seal him in. "But we're in no position to interrogate him and after we expose him as the lair he is, that problem should take care of itself."

"Perhaps Jesse," I raise an eyebrow at Ivor as I go pick up Aiden's sword, examining its enchantments. "Instead of finding Petra first we go after the Eversource, since we know the exact way to the throne room from here."

"Excuse me? You still want that thing?" I sigh, not wanting to listen to another argument between Lukas and Ivor. "We clearly need to help these people, not run off with what they depend on to survive."

"The only reason we came here in the first place is for that thing!"

I snap around, hissing at them. "Quiet! I prefer to let the guards think we're behaving ourselves inside the cell instead of arguing outside of it. Besides, has it not crossed either of your minds that we're stuck here? We can't run off with anything without a portal back home."

Ivor huffs and crosses his arms, Lukas looking down and scratching his neck. I sigh, again, wishing I could just get rid of all this pent up hate and stress.

"Here, Lukas." I hand Aiden's blade to him, the enchantments glimmering. "Use this sword instead, it's better than your iron one."

"Yeah, okay, thanks."

I lightly groan instead of just sighing this time, bitter at how I made everything awkward. But we don't have the time for it, we have a whole mess we have to sort through first.

"Come on guys, we have to get out of here."

Ivor clears his throat, his grumpiness not helping me feel better. "Hate to be the one to say it Jesse, but we have no clue where to hide. We don't anything about this place or even an idea where Petra is."

"Actually..." I begin to walk into the hallway, whispering now and treading lightly. "We know people except escapees to run far away from the prison they break out of and that Petra is trying to get to us as well. Which means we're going to the throne room."

"Why exactly would Petra be there?"

I check behind a corner before moving on, dropping my whisper even quieter. "Since it's the back and vulnerable way in, no way would she go through the guarded entrance."

I don't hear a response, which is good, we need to be quiet trying to sneak through the halls. Although now that it's silent, and I know we somehow got ourselves even deeper in this mess, I can't help but feel the silence slowly pressing into me. Nerves and anxiety being crammed together into a much too fast pounding heart.

And amidst it all, a new horrible gut feeling rises, making me break out in a cold sweat. A terrible dreadful cramp in my stomach telling me one dark and hopeless message.

That even if we find the way out of this situation, we're still going to helplessly lost.

****

That was fun! I really needed to give Aiden a good pounding, it's something I just needed.

Although quite so happy with my titling skills, I feel like I'm being boring or something. Lost is suppose to represent Jesse not really knowing what to do, foreshadowing, and doubt that he will continue to get him and his friends back home. But I feel like just 'Lost' doesn't do that. Ugh, one day I will be better at titles.

Whelp, I've got nothing more to say. Goodbye for now!