Becoming The Shadows (Shadow Series #4)

32 - France

Only a couple of hours have passed since I said my goodbyes at the terminal. I felt like I was saying goodbye to a younger brother and two best friends. Lydia was going to ride to the airport with me, but we decided to say our goodbyes earlier that day. 

I never wanted to let go of Parrish or Stiles when I hugged them for the last time. Stiles has always been a close friend of mine, but Parrish and I have grown so close. We were partners in crime that were always in sync with each other. It was going to be weird to wake up in the mornings and not see him in the kitchen making breakfast. 

"Liam, you've barely even know Clara for that long." Stiles huffs as the blonde boy holds onto me tighter. Stiles pulls Liam's arm off of me to try to get a hug in. "Move along so I can say goodbye before her plane takes off. Damn it, Liam."

"Fine, fine." Liam releases his hold on me. 

I chuckle and walk right into Stiles' warm embrace. I rest my cheek on his shoulder. "I'm going to miss you." 

"Not as much as I'll miss you." Stiles pulls me tightly against his body. He presses a kiss to my temple in a friendly manner. "Oh, god. I'm going to cry." He mumbles in my ear for only me to hear. 

"Don't do that. You'll make me start." I hold onto my best friend for dear life. "It's only two months and I'll actually skype you this time and everything."

The attendant at the gate for my plane announces for last call. The final call only results in Stiles' holding me closer. 

"Stiles, I love you, but I have to hug Parrish, too." I kiss his cheek before I wiggle out of his arms. I quickly rush into Parrish's arms. "Please stay out of danger and keep an eye on my friends- especially those two." 

"I will." Parrish promises me. "Now, go get on that plane." 

I grab the back of Parrish's neck to force him to bend down a little bit. Like I did with Stiles, I kiss Parrish's cheek. I wave at all three of them and rush over to the gate for my plane.

"Hey, where's my kiss?" Liam pouts.  

I hand the lady over my ticket for her to check. "When I get back!" I promise Liam. 

"Brothers?" The attendant asks me after handing back my ticket. 

I shake my head with my eyes still trained on them. "No, they're my best friends." 

"Oh, well, they must really love you." She states with a warm smile. 

"You have no idea." I chuckle before walking to my plane. I wipe away a few stray tears. I don't think I'll ever be able to leave them like this again. 

The flight to France gave me enough time to doze in and out of sleep. The window seat wasn't the greatest, but I made do with the pillow and blanket the flight attendant gave me. 

As planned, my friend, Keisha, met me at the airport. She was the one I was telling the guys about. Of course, when I told her what happened to me over Skype, she didn't believe a word of it. That was the exact reason I did it over a video chat. Keisha saw for herself my ability to change my physical features. 

Keisha and I both thought it would be best if I transformed to not look like my old self. Too many people where we were going knew me when I came here last time. She said that everyone knew I was dead, so walking in like everything was fine wouldn't be a good idea.