Fears

|Epilogue|

| Epilogue |

He stepped out of the plane and felt a sharp pang of excitement. It had been five years since the group arrived in Paris and settled in with Auguste and Lisette. Shortly after, though, Levi found the magician that he and Ruby had gone to see that one day.

Jodoc had greeted him happily and showed Levi some of his magic tricks. Later in the day, the magician offered for the then seventeen year-old to accompany him on his world tour. Levi accepted and they soon left for their first show in America.

Now, Levi was back. He carried his suitcases into town excitedly.

~*~

Carefully and gently, Riley placed the small square of moss on the glass file, his breath held. One wrong move and the whole thing could go up in flames.

He chuckled to himself. Just like the bagels Lisette had cooked last night. Gosh she was a horrible baker, he thought. But he loved her for it.

With a small clink, Riley placed the moss under a heat lamp, along with the other fifteen squares of moss that he had tediously placed under the lamp.

Who knew being a plant biologist would be so stressful?

Future plant biologist, Riley corrected himself. He wasn't a plant biologist just yet.

"Thorne."

The sharp voice startled Riley, making him jump and spin around, sweat making his glasses slide on his nose.

Five years hadn't changed Riley much. He was taller, leaner, and had dropped the ridiculous shag haircut he had adopted as a fifteen year old, changing it for a shorter cut.

But his eyes were still the same. Always flashing with laughter, the same grin he had always worn plastered on his face.

Rily looked at the man who had called him.

A thin young man with spiky blond hair strode towards him through the rows of potted plants and tables, an exasperated look on his face.

"What is it, Noel?" Riley said in perfect French. "Dude, can't you see I'm in the middle of something? If you had been any louder I could have knocked all this geniousness to the floor!"

"Calm yourself Rikles." Noel chuckled, examining the squares of moss. "I'm just tired of waiting around for you. The bio lab was supposed to close an hour ago!"

"Call me 'Rikles' again, Noel," Riley threatened, waving a gloved hand at him, "And I will personally shove a palm tree up your--"

"Okay, okay!" Noel exclaimed. "I just think we should go."

Riley pushed another moss slide under the light. Cetraria islandica was this species' name. Also known as Icelandic moss, and what a lovely specimen it was.

But Noel was right, he had to leave the lab soon.

"Fine," Riley groaned, adjusting the intensity of the heat lamp, and lightly spraying the moss with water.

"Let's go. Besides, I have a date with a hot chick."

Noel rolled his eyes.

"We all know you have a girlfriend, No need to rub it in my extremely single face!"

"You're just jealous," Riley grinned, shrugging off his dirt-stained lab coat.

"Let's scram."

A few minutes later, Riley strode down the steps of the university, waving to Noel and looking around for the blonde haired head of Lisette. It didn't take long to find her.