Luke's POV
My eyes were locked on the place where I saw Jade fall. His screams still echoed in my ears long after they had finished. I dimly heard Zip and Tim calling Jade's name, but I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't feel.

I felt Zip gently shaking my shoulder, and I dimly heard her words asking if I was okay. No, I wasn't okay. I would never be okay. I felt hot tears start to roll down my cheeks. I wanted to go to the edge of the tree and look for him, I wanted to scream and yell and throw things, I wanted to sit down and cry but I couldn't. I couldn't move.

"Where's Fury?"

Alex's voice brought me out of my shock. I looked up to where Fury had been standing, but she was gone, disappearing into the night.

"Damn her to the Nether," Tim swore. "She must have taken off the moment Jade...."

"We never should have trusted her." My voice was quiet. "If we hadn't listened to her, if we had gone back to the cave, then Jade would be alive." It was all Fury's fault. She led us up here. She told us it would be safe. She told us to jump from tree to tree. She doomed Jade. Vines creaked below us, echoing the faint groans of zombies and clicking of skeletons far below.

"What should we do?" Tim asked.

I looked up at Zip. She hesitated, thinking of our options. "Our best option would be to wait here until morning. When the mobs are gone, we can climb down using vines, then.... We'll see when we get there."

Vines creaked again below us. They were louder than before, and sounded like they were mocking Jade's death. I'll kill Fury. If I ever see her again, I'll kill her and throw her off the trees, like she did to Jade. (Geez mate, you been eating red meat?)

"Luke! Help?"

My head jerked up at Jade's voice and I saw his hands gripping the edge of the tree. "Jade!" I ran forward and held onto Jade's hands, pulling him up. Tim came over and together, we pulled Jade up on top of the tree. His face was pale, his hands were red like he had been climbing and his ankle was twisted, but he was alive. I hugged him tight, and he hugged me back.

"You're alive!" I said, almost unable to believe it.

"Yeah, I know," Jade said, sounding like he couldn't believe it either. "Fury saved me."

I let go of him. "Fury?"

The girl climbed up on top of the tree easily, flicking her plait out of the way. She knelt next to Jade's ankle. "Could have been a lot worse. The vine that grabbed you was long, but it must have snagged somewhere and made you fall. If you had reached the end of it, it probably would have taken off your ankle and snapped. Right now, it's probably broken. I think I've got something for it at home, but for now, you won't be able to jump. Be right back." She stepped back and flipped off the edge of the tree.

Alex and Zip ran over to the edge and looked for her, while Tim and I stayed with Jade. "What happened?" I asked Jade.

"I don't exactly remember," Jade said. "I was falling, and then I felt something wrap around my chest and slow me down. Then Fury was there and she helped me climb back up using more vines. I think we were wrong about her. I think she can be trusted."

"I don't know Jade," I said hesitantly.

"She saved me Luke. She didn't need to and she risked her own life to do it."

Fury climbed back up on top of the tree, holding some blocks of wood in her hand. "Okay, here's the plan. Tim and Luke, you guys help Jade walk. I'll build bridges from tree to tree. Zip goes first, then you three, then Alex at the rear."

"Why didn't you build bridges before?" Tim asked.

"Several reasons. One: because it takes a lot of wood, two: because it's slower than jumping across, three: because it ruins the trees and four: because you guys didn't need it. But there's no other option now." Fury jumped to the next tree and quickly build a bridge wide enough for Jade, Tim and I to cross. We slowly went across, Jade hobbling along on one foot.

"This is going to take a lot longer now," he said.

Fury's POV
We had finally reached my tree. I jumped up onto one of the branches and built the last bridge, connecting my tree to the one the group was on. I made a mental note to destroy these bridges later. It wasn't safe to have my tree so easily accessible. I knelt down as they crossed the bridge, ready to catch anyone if they fell. Thankfully, no one did and I sighed in relief. I was almost too late to save Jade, and I didn't want to relive the experience.

"It'll be easier from here on," I said, standing up.

"Isn't your house at the bottom of the tree?" Luke asked.

I frowned slightly. "No. Why would I do that?" I walked further down the large branch we were on. My tree was ancient, and its branches were wide enough for two people to walk side by side. I gently pushed aside several smaller branches, revealing a staircase heading down into the tree itself. I went down the stairs, making sure that the group was following me. The stairs didn't go down very far and I pushed open the door at the bottom after only a minute of walking. The group gasped as they walked through my door, seeing my house for the first time.

The middle of the tree was hollow, and it was divided into four floors. There were stairs connecting the floors, as well as vines that I had hung from the ceiling. Everything was made of carved wood, with covered torches burning at regular intervals along the walls, casting a golden light on everything. The smoke made by the torches disappeared through air holes in the trunk of the tree.

"This is where you live?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, of course," I said. This was the only home I had ever known. "You guys can sit down on the couches there. Your rooms to sleep in are on the floor below us, near the stairs. Kitchen and dining room are on the floor below that. You can keep your weapons in your rooms if you want. Now, about your ankle Jade-"

A growl interrupted me and a white dog emerged from a room. He was low to the ground and he growled at the group, showing off his sharp white teeth. The group immediately grew closer together as the dog approached them.

"Wolf, relax," I told the dog. "It's fine, they're not going to hurt me." I turned to them. "You're not planning on hurt me, right?"

Luke swallowed and looked at my dog. "Nope. No way."

I didn't think they would, but it never hurts to make sure. "This is my dog, Wolf. He's pretty protective, as you could guess." Wolf sat up as I said his name and barked at me, putting on a show of innocence. His fur was short and white, but faded to black at his feet. He was a small dog, his head just coming up to my knee and his blue eyes were constantly moving. I noticed that the group were still wary of Wolf and I sighed inside. Just another reason why they shouldn't trust me.

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure I have a healing potion somewhere for you Jade," I said awkwardly. "I'll go get it. Come Wolf." We left the room, and I heard the group start to talk as I went around the corner. I sighed again and looked down at my dog. "You just love getting me into trouble, don't you?"

He looked up at me, barked, then ran through the hole I had made in every door of my house, not including the bedroom ones. I grinned slightly and opened the door we had reached. The room inside had several shelves in it, along with a cauldron and a small nether wart farm. I didn't really like brewing potions, but they had saved Wolf and I several times before. I quickly searched the shelves and found that I had one more healing potion left.

"Remind me to make more, Wolf," I said.

We went back to the group and I gave Jade the potion. He looked at it for a second. "Why pink?" he asked.

I frowned and shrugged. "No clue. It's just the way they turn out."

He drank it and his ankle healed instantly. "Cool! Thanks Fury!"

"Uh, no problem," I mumbled. It had been a long time since I had talked to people, and even longer since they had thanked me for something.

"Have you been to the Nether, Fury?" Alex asked.

My mind started to panic but I pushed it down. "No," I lied. "Why?"

"How did you make the potion then? You need nether wart to brew the basic potion, which is only found in the Nether."

Oh right, he was asking about the potion. "My brother and I found a witch who had some nether wart. We made a mini farm here," I said before I could think about it. Crap. Why did I have to mention him? Please don't ask...

"You have a brother?" Tim asked.

Please no.

"Um.... yeah."

Don't ask.

Just leave it.

"Where is he?"

"Um..." Memories rose into my mind. The Nether, the skeletons, my brother, my fear, him. I felt tears grow in my eyes. I wouldn't cry, not in front of them. I would not show weakness.

"I have to go," I lied quickly and I ran off, swinging down the vines to my room on the second floor.

Chapter in original book: 9 and 10

So Fury's got some secrets! What are they?

What happened to her brother?

Why did she freak out when Alex asked her about the Nether?

Are her secrets important?

They probably are since I'm drawing so much attention to it.
Anyway, I'm gonna shut up now, have a nice day.