Dümped

"I'm Jacob," the man said as he got up and helped Sandra to her feet.

"Thanks for saving me," Sandra said, brushing herself off. "And… sorry for ruining your shirt."

"Hey, we helped too," Merlin chimed in.

Without looking in his direction, Sandra shoved him aside, her focus locked on Jacob. It wasn't just his biceps or his well-defined chest that held her attention. She had spent too much time around kids—any adult presence was comforting.

At least, that's what she would have told anyone. And it would have been a lie.

Sandra was undeniably attracted to Jacob. His muscles, his abs, the sharp v-cut of his torso—she wanted all of it. And the boys could see it.

She wasn't the only one keeping a close eye on Jacob. Jackfrost watched his every move, suspicion written all over his face. He was convinced Jacob was a spy, sent by another group to steal Sandra—or worse, to follow them until they found the SVI system.

Sandra, however, took every opportunity to touch Jacob—brushing against him, steadying herself on his arm, lingering a little too long when handing him something.

When they reached a river, Sandra seized the chance to wash her blouse and jeans. She offered to wash Jacob's clothes too, but he declined. She insisted. After some serious persuasion, he finally gave in.

Sandra was more than happy to strip him down.

Jacob sat in his underwear with the boys while Sandra crouched by the river, scrubbing their clothes against the rocks. She kept glancing back at them, unease creeping in as she watched the boys talk to Jacob. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she didn't like it.

They were laughing.

Sandra's stomach twisted.

"What's so funny?" she asked, marching back toward them.

Jackfrost started to explain, but she ignored him.

"Come on," she said, grabbing Jacob's arm. "Let's see if we can find something to keep you warm."

She pulled him away, not looking back.

That night, Sandra shared a tent with Jacob. It was dark, and somehow, they were still half-naked.

Anytime Jacob asked for his clothes, she told him they were still wet. At some point, he finally went to check for himself. To his surprise, they really were still damp.

"The cold won't be so bad if we cuddle," Sandra suggested the moment he stepped back inside.

Jacob hesitated, but the warmth was tempting.

Meanwhile, in the other tents, Jackfrost muttered, "Who goes camping without a tent?"

The next morning, they continued their journey. Sandra and Jacob trailed behind the boys, giggling every few minutes. They were fully clothed now, but they might as well have been sharing the same outfit, the way they kept brushing against each other.

TomTom had been wondering about Jacob's power ever since they met. Abilities weren't usually something people shared with strangers, but now that they had been traveling together for a while, TomTom hoped Jacob would be comfortable enough to answer.

During a break, Jacob lay in the grass with Sandra resting her head on his chest. It was the perfect time to ask.

"Jacob, I was wondering… what's your power?" TomTom said.

"You don't have to tell us," Sandra added quickly.

"It's fine," Jacob replied. "My power is aging."

"Aging? Like, you can age things?" TomTom asked.

"I don't know. I've never tried." Jacob shrugged. "I was talking about this."

Right before their eyes, Jacob's body transformed. His skin wrinkled, his muscles withered, and within seconds, he looked like he was in his eighties.

"Oh my God!" Sandra yelped, scrambling away from him.

The boys burst into laughter.

"Relax," Jacob said, his voice now raspier. "I can change back."

But instead of doing so immediately, he pulled exaggerated old-man faces, making the boys laugh even harder.

"Change back," Sandra demanded.

With a grin, Jacob reversed the process, his youth returning in seconds. Sandra sighed in relief and placed her head back on his chest.

"That's a cool power," Merlin said, impressed. "You can practically live forever."

"Not necessarily," TomTom countered. "If he can't age back past his real age, time will still catch up to him."

Curious, he turned to Jacob. "Can you age back past your actual age?"

"I don't know," Jacob admitted. "Let me try."

He began to reverse his aging further. Sandra watched as he shrank down—his face softening, his body losing its adult definition.

"Wait… so how old are you?" she asked.

"Nineteen," Jacob replied, still shrinking.

"No, I mean, how long have you been alive?" Sandra clarified, her stomach tightening.

"Twelve," Jacob said casually as he continued regressing.

Sandra's eyes widened in horror.

His pants slipped down his hips, and his shirt drooped over him like a dress, the sleeves hanging past his hands.

"No, no, no," Sandra muttered, standing up so fast she nearly tripped. "This is all kinds of wrong."

She turned and walked away, leaving Jacob standing there—twelve years old in an oversized outfit.

Jacob aged back to his usual nineteen-year-old self, but Sandra couldn't unsee what she had just witnessed. She couldn't unknow what she now knew.

What followed wasn't a fight, not exactly. It was more like an unspoken break-up, a silent understanding that things couldn't go back to how they were. Neither of them said the words, but when they parted ways, it was clear—Jacob wasn't coming with them.

Jackfrost was secretly relieved. He never trusted Jacob, and now he was finally out of the picture. But Sandra's obvious sadness kept him from celebrating. That didn't mean the boys wouldn't make fun of her for it later.

For now, they continued on, just the original team once more.