Jake Mason and the Human

Jake Is About As Useless As Natalie Is Stubborn

Natalie was soft underneath my touch. Her hair, her skin, her lips. As mushy as it sounds, I never wanted to stop kissing her. When we pulled away my brain started looking for words, but all I could manage was, "Sorry."

Natalie shook her head a little and stepped closer into me. She muttered, "Don't be," before kissing me again. This time her hands were clutching my sweater and she was leading me back into the house.

"I know what you're doing," I mumbled against her.

She only slightly pulled away. "I'm not doing anything."

I held her head so that her eyes would look at me. "I've got to go."

Natalie stood up onto her toes to kiss me one more time. She kept trying to draw me into the house, but I couldn't help but laugh against her. Turning so that I was closer to the door, I pulled away. "Nice try."

"It was, wasn't it?"

With a huff, she stepped out of the doorway for me and said, "Don't do anything stupid."

I had to laugh at that. "Thanks, I'll try."

After getting a few steps in front of the house I turned around and told her, "We should do this again." I motioned to the spot where the two of us had been standing.

"I'll consider it," Natalie shrugged with a knowing gleam in her eye.

I wasn't walking long before I could really feel the coldness of the winter settling into my skin. The wind wasn't helping much either, but it was short-lived because not too long after me starting to hope gloves and scarves would fall out of the sky, a beat up car pulled up next to me from the road.

Natalie rolled down the window and called to me, "Need a lift?"

I frowned. "Go home."

She grinned. "Sorry, what was that? The car that I'm in is too loud. You know, the car that will get me to camp before you."

"You are so stubborn," I told her, stepping into the passenger's seat.

She shrugged me off and hit the accelerator. "Let's do this thing."

After a moment of silence I told her, "You're not leaving this car, you know that, right?"

Natalie sighed. "You don't have the upperhand in this situation."

"I don't?"

"Not unless you find a way to control my body."

"I don't want to control your body. I want you to be safe."

She gave a bitter laugh. "No matter what I do, Jake, I'm not safe."

"Throwing you into a fight would only make your safety even harder to attain."

"What about your safety?"

"I go to camp for this stuff!"

"And I go to a New York public school. So..."

"I don't like this..."

"I don't like being shoved into a corner. Or locked into my house, for that matter."

"What would you do if you were in my shoes?" I challenged.

She shrugged. "Probably trip a lot. Your feet are way bigger than mine."

"Seriously. I want to know what you would do."

It was quiet for minute. I could tell she was only partially thinking about my question.

Finally she answered, "I'd sacrifice your body. Use you as a sheild."

"Nice."

She laughed. "We should have a plan, though."