fragile time

~chapter 4~

"Thanks, dad." Blade chuckled a little before starting to mimic his father, "'Blade Wixx, if you break any of my rules, there will be consequences!'" The team couldn't help but to smile.

"I told you he sounded like my father." Emily muttered towards Xavier before joining in on the laughter.

Slowly, the rest of the team started to joke, pretending to be their parental figure. Blade always knew how to make light of a dark situation. Taylor took her hair and balanced it over her lip, creating a mustache like our father's, "'I'm going to ground you if I catch you skipping class, Ma'am!'"

The once dark and dull treehouse was now bursting with light and laughter. Thank you, Blade. I knew things were bad now, but at least I had my friends. I knew they would never abandon me, and I would never forsake them. I was lucky to have my team; I wasn't sure what I would be if I didn't have the five of them by my side. It was all smiles now, but I had a feeling the rest of the evening wasn't going to be a hazy dream.

~✶~

The "rest of the evening" was a restless nightmare. Silver Academy served dinner, as it was a boarding school, but I didn't go. I was sitting in the dorm on my bed when Xavier and Blade were getting ready to leave. "You really should come," Xavier urged, "It's not the same without you."

I quickly made an excuse, "I'm really not hungry; I have homework to do." The cold wind from the air conditioner above me blew the back of my neck, but I didn't think that was the only thing giving me chills.

"Mhm, sure." Blade rolled his eyes as he threw on his jacket and headed out the door. Xavier caught the door before it shut, his wings flaring.

"Okay then." Xavier hid the anger toward Blade in his voice, "That's cool, leave your friend who has had a death note sent to them like that. Whatever." His wings started to die down, resorting to a soft glow as he sat down next to me.

For a while, we sat in silence. It was nice having someone be with me during this. Xavier knew exactly what to do. I didn't want to talk, as I needed some peace. Most people would find two friends sitting in silence awkward, but it wasn't to me and Xavier. With life being so bizarre, it was so peaceful to just be quiet— to let your thoughts be the only thing you hear.

The fire fairy adjusted his position, "Um... Micheal, I'm here for you, okay? You know, I got your back. I mean... if you need anything, anything at all, just tell me. I'll stay here if you want me to. Do you want to... talk about it?"

I smiled at the words. I wasn't alone going through this. There were a lot of people that sympathized with me, but still, I didn't want anyone to feel sorry for me. I hated pity— I never knew how to accept it. I'm strong. I can handle this. "Thank you, Xavier. I'm alright. I need to get my mind off of it."

"Sorry," Xavier finally stood up, leaving some ashes on my bed, "I'm not very good at, you know, stuff like this."

"Actually, you're great. Thanks for being here with me. You should go eat."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Thank you again." I gave him a soft smile as I wiped the evidence of his presence off my bed.

"Okay..um, I'll leave you alone." He said as he opened the wooden door, "Please, uh, come get me if you really need anything. I know you never want to ask for help, but I promise, you won't be a burden." An awkward pause filled the air before he continued, "I, uh, I got you, man."

I chuckled a little. "Thanks. I got you too, man." We both shared a laugh. I knew I would never let him forget that. If he was dying in my arms, my last words to him would be like 'I'll see you on the other side, man.' I loved how awkward Xavier was; he made me laugh. Not in the same way Blade, Taylor, or even Emily did. Xavier was one of the first people I'd met in our team. We'll always have a special bond.

"Alright then." Xavier smiled, beginning to walk out the door, "Bye, man." I nodded as if to say goodbye.

After his descending footsteps disappeared, the room was completely still, and I was kept in solitude. It was like my bedroom was separated from the rest of the world. The curtains stubbornly refused to let any light escape from the windows; in addition to that, with the lights being off, it was quite dark. However, being a vampire, I liked it that way. Everything in the room was clear to my eyes, the door to our bathroom across from me, Xavier's bed to the right of the door, and Blade's to the left. The small window above Blade's bed, the messy desk next to my bed, the closet of which we all shared in between Xavier's bed and mine.

Part of me wanted to cry, but no tears came out. I was only... sitting. Sitting in the pure dryness of my bedroom. I don't think my brain had processed the true meaning of that note. It could've been written by the strongest person in the world— or some random kid as a joke. The uncertainty made my mind swim.

It was alright, though. I needed to suck it up and be strong. I'm likely getting tense over nothing. I'm not afraid. I knew everything would be okay with me, but honestly, it wasn't me I was worried about.

I was more terrified for my friends than myself. If anyone wanted to kill me, they would have to at least injure, if not kill, the rest of my team first. Don't get me wrong, it's still great not being alone, but if they die, it's on me. Honestly, I was thinking about going to the Cave of Confusion alone, but I had promised Emily on the way back from the treehouse I wouldn't.

I needed to focus and figure out what I was going to do. If there was someone there, I— no, we were going to fight. If my team and I won, then this would all be over. However, if we were starting to lose, we would retreat, but we would also now have proof that someone was after me; we would then alert an adult. The only thing I haven't prepared for is if... nobody is there. Do I just walk around and leave empty-handed? I wasn't going to do that. I had to... I had to... I had to do what? I had to leave something.

I had to leave something, just in case whoever wrote that had been there. Even if this all did lead to a dead end, I wanted to leave something. It would make me feel better. I like to know that I at least left a mark that I had been there, that it wasn't all for nothing. I was going to show the author that I was onto them... but how?

My options were slim, and there was a large risk for each. What if someone found whatever I left? The chances of someone waltzing into the Cave of Confusion were small, but it could still happen. Would it be worth it?

Yes. It would be. If someone did find it, I could explain myself. However, I knew nobody had gone into the abandoned cave for years. Not many people even recognized its existence, I imagined. I nodded my head to myself as I decided I would plant a clue to explain my thoughts, just as they did for me.

I could have left a shoe like Cinderella did for the prince, but it was no prince that I was dealing with. I had to leave a little trace of myself, just so I could feel accomplished. A trace... That was it. I had to return the favor. Write back exactly what they wrote to me. 'I'll write a response to the author.' I thought, 'They did send me a letter, so it would be rude not to reply, right?'

I made my way to the desk and grabbed the nearest pen as I sat down. I opened my notebook and ripped out the first empty page, which was pretty far. I wrote diary entries a lot in my freetime, so it shouldn't have been too hard to figure out the right words to weave together. My journal was an escape for me, as it would listen when nobody else would. I was forever grateful for it. My chest rose as I took a deep breath.

I exhaled as I started to let my thoughts gush out of the pen and stain the pristine paper.