Chapter 1 - Just an Average Day

Summary: “We all harbor dark secrets,” was what he once told her, but little did she know that those same secrets would lead them to a world full of magic, lies, betrayal, and worst of all. . . love. Follow Jake, Spud, and Trixie through an epic tale that will test the bonds of their friendship, and the strength of a vow made long ago.




“If you go through with this,” Trixie’s tone was pleading, but firm. “I will never forgive you and neither will Jake.”

“Well, then,” Spud’s voice was eerily calm as he spoke, so much so that it sent a chill down Trixie's spine. “I guess this is finally where we part ways.” He turned around, leaving her where she stood.

“Spud, wait!” she yelled desperately, as she lunged forward and grabbed onto his sleeve.

“Spud is gone!” he turned back and yelled as he violently tore himself away from her. “The name is Arthur,” he spat, as he narrowed his eyes and looked upon her as if she were nothing more than something stuck at the bottom of his shoe. “Because you killed Spud the moment you turned your back on him.”

“Please, understand I never meant. . .” her voice trailed off, tears threatening to fall as she looked into the burning eyes of this stranger before her. Who was this man? This could not be the boy she had grown up with. Where was the sweet, simply Spud she had once known? The boy she had come to adore? Did he even exist or was it all just an act? No, she wouldn't believe it so. “I love you,” the words slipped from Trixie’s mouth in a breathless whisper. The Spud she knew had to exist. . . he just had to.

Spud’s eyes softened at her admission, the admission he had been waiting so long to hear. He stared at her momentarily before reaching out his hand so that he could take her face gently in his touch. “Trixie, I-” he began, but he stopped mid-way in his reach for her before dropping his hand back to his side and balling it up into a fist. He then turned his head as he lowered it towards the ground. He began walking backwards, letting the shadows cover his form from Trixie’s view. “I wish, I could still say the same,” he replied sadly before he disappeared in the cover of darkness.



“Jake, if you don’t get your boney @$$ down here!” yelled Trixie at the bottom of the stairs of the Long home.

“Will you chill, Trix?” the seventeen year old Jake Long called from upstairs, in the bathroom, as he put on the finishing touches to his over gelled hair. “You know I got to look good for the ladies.” He chuckled to himself.

Trixie leaned on the banister as she crossed her arms and huffed impatiently. She then looked to her watch again for the seventh time in five minutes. “We’re already late for Spud’s competition.”

“Alright, I’m coming. I’m coming.” Jake grabbed his house keys before making his way towards one of his best friends. “How many times do I have to remind you that you can’t rush perfection?”

“Oh please, Jakey,” she grabbed his arm and practically pulled him out the door. “Give it a break. You ain’t that fine.”

“Blasphemy!” he yelled in mock shock as the two headed out the door and walked a few blocks down to catch the train across town.

As they sat, Trixie pulled out her new PDA, which had been a gift from her father, so that she could schedule the upcoming days. “You know, since you’ve gotten that thing, you have been driving me up the wall.” Jake grabbed it from her hands.

“Hey,” she yelled in protest, as Jake held it out of her reach. “Well, that's funny, considering you’ve still been late to everything.” She reached for the device, only to have Jake pull it away again. “Look here dragon boy,” she whispered. “If you know what’s good for you. . .” she began, but there was no reason to continue as Jake handed it back to her. “Thank you.”

“So is everything planned for next Saturday?” he asked her as he put his arm around her and looked on to her PDA.

“Of course,” she smiled as she pulled up a file. “Spud is going to straight trip when he sees the bash we’ve been planning for this his big one – eight.”

“So has everyone on the list RSVPed?”

“Almost,” she replied.

“And the center is booked, right?”

“Jake, will you stop buggin'. I’ve got my end covered,” she reassured him. “So all you have to do is make sure the cake is there by seven.”

Jake straightened up as the train was coming to a stop. “Wait, I’m on cake detail?”

“Well, yeah. That’s what we agreed on.” Trixie watched as Jake made a face. “Jake, please tell me you put in the order for the cake last week.”

“Uh,” Jake avoided eye contact as he scratched the back of his head. “Well. . .”

“Jake!” she cried with wide eyes.

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Jake then shot up from his seat. “We’re just going to have to make a quick detour,” he pronounced as he grabbed Trixie by the wrist and pulled her off the train.


“I should have known,” Trixie said angrily as they stepped off the bus into a greenery scene. “You’re late with everything else, why not this?”

“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Jake told her as he followed her along a dirt path up a steadily upward hill.

“Not that bad?” she turned around and spoke to him as she continued to walk backwards. “Jake, we have no cake. We can’t have a party without a cake.”

“No sweat, Trix,” he said with a smile that only annoyed his friend more. “How hard can it be to whip up a cake?”

“Do you cook, Jake?” she asked.

“No,” he answered.

“Do I cook?”

Jake looked at her oddly. “Is this a trick question?”

“Jake!”

“Alright, no.” he replied.

Trixie took a deep breath as she said calmly, “Okay, then how do you suppose we’re going to – whip up a cake!” she yelled the last part.

“I’m telling you. I got this. Come Saturday at seven, Spud will have his cake.” Jake then once again smiled at her. “You sure are going through a lot of trouble for this party. Any reason in particular?” He cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

“Shut up, boy,” she told him as she turned around so she could once again see where see was going, but that didn't help her much as her foot got caught on a root of a tree growing above the ground.

“Trixie,” Jake worriedly called out as she was in danger of falling over the side of the hill. Jake’s tail, without thinking, appeared and wrapped itself around Trixie's body before pulling her towards him. He took both of her arms securely in his hands before his tail dissolved. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Are you crazy?” Trixie asked him, as she frantically looked around. “You could have been seen.”

Jake released his hold on her. “You’re welcome,” he said quietly as he rolled his eyes.

“I’m not playing, Jake. You’re too carefree with your abilities,” she scowled him.

Jake groaned as he continued up the hill. “Dang, girl, you’re starting to sound like my gramps. I could save the world ten times over and all he would say is how I neglected to clean the bathroom in the shop.”

“Fine,” she said as she caught up with him, walking beside him as she took his arm. “Oh, Jakey," she began with a Southern accent. "My hero, thank you. For I do declare, I would have fallen on my purdy little face if it haven't been for these gentlemanly arms of yours,” she paused, rethinking her words. "Or should I say tail?" she asked as she slapped him on the butt. She then laughed as she asked in her normal voice, “Happy now?”

Jake chuckled and playfully looked at her as if she was crazy, but before he could say anything they heard a crowd of voices. They both looked up and saw people starting to make their way down the hill. Among them was their friend Spud holding what looked to be a first place trophy. “Hey, guys. Just get here?” He greeted them cheerfully as he made his way over to them, wondering why Jake's face looked so red as Trixie let go of him.

“It was Jake's fault,” Trixie replied as soon as Spud was close enough as he let her see the trophy.

“Sorry, man. Trix and I had to make a detour at- ow!” Jake yelled out as Trixie had elbowed him the ribs.

“What was that?” Spud looked confused as it appeared Trixie and Jake were having a conversation only with their eyes.

“Nothing,” he replied as Trixie let him see the trophy. Jake then looked to Spud curiously as they started their way down the hill. “Spud, I’m glad you won and all, but I’ve been curious. When did you get into archery?”

“Uh- it’s always been a dream of mine to learn the ways of the bow and arrow,” he began as he put his arm around Trixie. “If only to one day be your cupid and pierce your heart,” he said dotingly in a way only he could pull off.

“Keep dreaming, cupid,” Trixie said annoyed, as she took a step to the side, making Spud’s arm slip off of her. Spud only shrugged as he dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his red and yellow yo-yo.



The sun was beginning to set as the three friends soon found themselves in Trixie’s home, sitting in front of the television, playing video games. Jake and Trixie sat on the floor as they played a two player game. Spud sat up on the couch as he waited for one of them to lose so that he could take their place. As he waited, he fooled around with his yo-yo, watching it intensity as he threw it only to have it return to him.

Jake, being skillful in the game, was able to watch Spud from the corner of his eye. Something felt off about Spud, more than usual that is. Spud had always carried around that yo-yo and now that Jake was thinking about it, he couldn’t remember a day when he had seen Spud without it, but nowadays a lot of his attention went towards it.

“Uh-oh, buddy-boy, I’ve got you on the run now,” Jake heard Trixie say and so pulled his full attention back to the game.

They were racing cars and Jake had been in first place, until Trixie hit him from behind, sending his car veering off into the cement wall lining the track. “Aw, man,” Jake groaned as he watched Trixie’s car pass over the finish line.

“Next victim, please,” she said in a sickly sweet voice as she turned around to look at Spud.

“Here, just take it,” Jake sulked as he handed Spud the controller before sliding over to make room for him on the floor.

Spud placed his yo-yo on the coffee table in front of him. “Alright,” he began excited as he picked his car from the select screen. “Let’s put the paddle to the metal.” He then looked to Trixie. “I’m sorry, my sweet, but this will be a battle you will not win.”

“Oh, we’ll see about that, because I got this race in the bag.” Trixie then selected her next car and the two were off on the race track.

The two were three minutes into the race when something caught Jake’s eye and pulled his interest away from the screen. There was something blinking on the table. It was Spud's toy. “Uh, Spud?”

“Yeah?” he responded as he moved his body in the direction he wanted his car to go.

“Yo man, is it supposed to be doing that?” Jake went to pick up the toy, but to his surprise Spud’s hand beat him to it.

Spud then shot up from the floor before Jake had the chance to blink. He then said the first thing that came to his head, “I have to go to the bathroom.” It was followed by him jumping over the couch and ending up in the closet.

Jake and Trixie got up and looked a bit bewildered, though they honestly didn't now why, as they looked at the closet door. Trixie then shook her head from side to side. “You think we would be used to that by now,” she stated as she slide back to the floor and picked up a controller. “He’ll figure it out,” she said as Jake continued to look at the door. “He always does.” She sighed as she held the second player controller in the air. Jake soon took it and picked up where Spud had left off.

After several minutes, Jake thought he heard what sounded like a conversation happening from behind him. He paused the game as he looked to Trixie. "Is it me, or has Spud been acting kind of weird lately?" he asked her.

"Where have you been? That boy has been weird since way back in the day," she responded.

"Yeah, but what I mean is, weird even for him."

"You're tripping, Jakey," she told him as she reached over and tired to unpaused the game, but was unsuccessful.

"I'm for real," he protested.

Trixie then looked to him seriously. "So am I, because the day my boy, Spud starts acting 'normal' is the day I know something isn't right with the world. Now are we going to play or what?" With her question, Jake realized she was right, because any kind of strange behavior from Spud could only add up to one thing. . . just an average day.

To Be Continued. . .

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