A Test of Time (TomTord)

-22-

It was the middle of the day, but Ginger had fallen asleep. Clover has hovered nearby for a while, watching her new brother sleep. But eventually even she had gotten bored. She wandered over to the front cabin of the plane. She couldn't quite recall if she had actually let Cass see her or not. She supposed it wouldn't matter now if he saw her. 

Clover quietly set her feet on the ground, before almost stumbling and falling. She chuckled softly to herself. It had been a while since she had tried to stand. But she couldn't materialize unless she was either standing or sitting. She put her hands on the wall, and tried again, this time using the flat surface to support herself. 

It was a strange feeling to have a physical body. She was a special type of demon, one that could create her own body without the need for a host. They were called Ghost Demons. She knew that Ginger and Tom had the DNA of a Monster Demon, and from what she had gathered, Tord actually had a Royalty Demon- the son of the Queen, in fact. She knew him; his name was, well, in English, it was Sam. 

"You gonna talk kid, or just stand there?" Cass's voice startled Clover out of her thoughts. She almost fell, having let go of the wall in surprise. She looked up, expecting to see his angry expression, or even just curiosity, but he wasn't even looking at her. 

He glanced back again," Well?"

"You-you're not ... wondering who I am?"

"Nope. I know you came with Ginger. I could tell you were there, I just couldn't see you. I study demons, you know. You're a Ghost Demon, then, right?"

Clover nodded, stunned.

"Anyway, you're bored, right? And your brother is asleep, so you're coming to annoy me?"

"How did you know?"

"Why else would you be up here?"

"I guess you're right. But... why did you decide to do this? Won't White Leader be angry?" Cass didn't answer. He was staring out the window, his expression unreadable.

"I'm doing what I can to help you because I don't think I can help my own fate anymore. I'll take what I deserve when this is over."

——————

Pat was still upset with Pau for refusing to go with them, but he was grateful that Tord had finally agreed to go. He still wasn't sure why his son had changed his mind, but he thought it was best not to ask. And he had reluctantly let Pau stay at the base without complaint, since his husband was right about the leadership and defense question.

Tord sat next to him in the plane's cockpit, staring silently out the window. He was glad that he was getting to visit London again, and Pat had told him that they would actually be going to his childhood home. He had explained that his parents had moved back to Poland after he and Cass turned 18, and Pat stayed with Pau, while Cass moved to France. His parents had continued to pay for the house, as Pat's father had still been on military duty himself at the time. About two years after Tord moved in with Edd, Matt, and Tom, his parents had moved back into the house. 

Pau also didn't want to go with them, he knew, because there had always been a sort of tension between his husband and his parents. Marianne Dudlev actually liked the brunette, but was upset with the feuding between her twin sons. Victor Dudlev had always been one to be protective of his sons, knowing that the damage between the two of them was enough without the strain of a relationship. In his opinion, he thought that neither of the boys should have ended up with him, but he knew that convincing them to change their minds was near impossible.

About 15 minutes after Pat and Tord arrived at Pat's parents' house, a fancy black vehicle pulled up next to the driveway. Pat and Tord were in the twins' room. Pat was on the bottom bunk - his bunk - and Tord was sitting on the bench by the window. He sat up a bit when the vehicle approached. 

"There's a really fancy expensive car outside. Is that-?"

"Yes."

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?! YOU IDIOTS, FIND HIM!!" the four soldiers standing in front of White Leader's desk shrank back at his outburst. His top agent, soldier, and spy had disappeared that morning, and he was livid. He knew it was only a matter of time before that good for nothing Dudlev betrayed him. Only now he had found out that the monster child from the Red Army base was gone too. He had found out when the four soldiers that were around him most; Lyra, William, Jackie, and Felix; had reported that he had disappeared without warning early that morning. None of them wanted to actually find him, attack him, or do anything that White Leader would probably end up doing to him, but they all knew he would kill them if they didn't comply. So they left that morning in search of their former friend.

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"Patryck, your brother's here!" Marianne called up the stairs. Pat grumbled, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow. Tord actually smiled, almost laughing at his father acting so childish.

"Come on, dad." he said, snickering as he threw a pillow at Pat.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiine-" the reply was muffled by the pillows, but clear enough. Tord smiled, though somewhat forced, and went down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

As expected, Cass was standing there, grinning. He was completely silent, however, which was odd for him. He waved in greeting, but did not speak. He wore a plain grey hoodie, darker grey jeans, and black and white sneakers. It was odd, considering how he usually had at least one article of clothing that was brightly colored.

Something caught Tord's eye, a tiny blur of movement behind Cass. 

No... It couldn't be....

In an instant, he pushed past the brunette in front of him, who had barely managed to step to the side in time. He hardly spoke before he reached the child, throwing his arms around him for the first time in what felt like forever. Ginger startled, not expecting the sudden action, but as soon as he recognized his father, he squeaked happily, his voice slightly choked by tears, just as his father's was. Clover hovered quietly to the side, watching father and son meet again. She felt tears in the corners of her eyes. Demons didn't have families, even the royal family didn't treat each other kindly. They were simply a bloodline, meant to be trained for generation after generation of leadership. She guessed it was that reason that Sam had run away. He hated his family, he didn't want to lead. So when Tord had accidentally summoned him in an experiment gone wrong, the two had made a deal, and now he was mostly free from the world he had been trapped in. Clover had for some reason forgotten however, that he was here, since Tord himself was right in front of her. So when he spoke, she was surprised to hear it.

"A Ghost Demon, huh? Interesting. But the boy already has Monster Demon DNA. Needed a friend, I suppose?"