Chapter 44
By Your Side
“I needed you to know that I’m right where I belong.”
~Good Charlotte~
Exsavior focused hard on the task at hand; crunching numbers was never his strong suit, but having Mia by his side to help made it all worth it.
Right before her, he sat in a chair with his physics book sprawled open on one of the school’s library desk. Mia was quietly working on her own problems and she seemed to make it look very easy, as her pencil ran swiftly through her notebook like a wolf would do in an open forest.
To this Exsavior felt ashamed; he needed to try his best and avoid bothering his girl—even if she was there to tutor him. He was the male—and men were obliged to pick up their own weight.
At least that’s how he saw things.
With one of his hands scratching the back of his head, Exsavior scowled as he scrutinized the formula that was before him. He did not even realize that the pencil he had made it to his mouth and was now almost cracking in half.
There was a small giggle, and then a soft graze on his cheek. He looked up and saw Mia’s hand pulling out the dying pencil from his mouth. Exsavior let it go the instant he realized what he was doing.
“Sorry…,” he grumbled sheepishly as he hid his eyes back in the book.
“Exsavior, how many times do I have to tell you? If you need help, you have to tell me,” she chastised lightly.
To this Exsavior scoffed, but he allowed Mia to look over the problem he was struggling with.
“Ok, so two people are pushing a table in opposite directions, meaning against each other, one with the force of two-hundred newton and the other of three-hundred. What is the net force?” Mia read over the problem and with little efforts, unlike Exsavior, she understood.
“So, this one is really simple. It’s just the practice question,” she said with a smile and Exsavior simply nodded, not understanding completely what that meant.
“The net force is just the result of subtracting the two forces that you are given, and that would be…?” Mia began, scanning the question with her pencil and observing Exsavior.
He knew why she was testing him; it was to see how far his knowledge would go, and of course, he was not entirely uneducated. Simple problems like addition and subtraction was within his capabilities.
“One hundred,” Exsavior answered, making Mia smile brightly.
“Correct!” she said enthused.
The gesture made Exsavior smirk with pride as he found new resolve to tackle the rest of the assignment. Unfortunately, as time passed, Exsavior became stumped once more.
In his defense, none of the other questions were similar to the first, or even spoke about the same things. They just became more difficult, and he attempted to skip the ones he couldn’t grasp to solve others, but there was not one he understood.
With a heave of frustration and a growl, Exsavior was about to rip his book apart, when Mia grabbed his hands.
“Exsavior, calm down, don’t make a scene just let me help you,” she tried.
This just made Exsavior sigh and slump back in his chair as he balanced his head in his hand. The rest of the after school session, he allowed Mia to guide him, and it took a lot within him not to give up.
Nevertheless, it reached its inevitable end and it filled Exsavior with a sense of ambivalence. He did not want to stop spending time with Mia, but at the same time, he was very grateful to have his physics book closed.
“Well, I guess I will see you tomorrow,” Mia said, holding her book bag closer to her body as she stood alongside Exsavior in the parking lot.
Exsavior scowled slightly while staring at her. He wanted to poke at the thread, and ask why she was acting so unsure of herself.
Ever since the incident with Rose, Mia was not the same. At least when she was around him, she would act differently.
“Mia is everything ok with you?” he asked, trying not to sound overly protective.
Without any hesitation, Mia shook her head. “No, I’m fine. It’s just this Elias thing that’s worrying me.”
When he heard the words, Exsavior quickly recalled what Mia told him and the rest last night. She called them all and explained the situation. Apparently, Elias was not as keen to joining them as they thought. He threatened Mia for some unknown reason, and disappeared.
Turning to face her, Exsavior put his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, look at me. We’re not going to let him touch you. As far as I’m alive, you will be safe,” he said to her, but her expression did not change.
If anything, it became more contrite.
“Mia…” Noticing this, Exsavior was about to pry further when a honk caught his attention.
“Exsavior honey, let’s go.” The words of Lily filled his ears, and when he shifted his gaze from Mia to the car, he saw David and Lily awaiting him.
Sighing as if defeated, Exsavior turned his saddened eyes back to Mia.
“Don’t be sad. Remember…” he leaned and kissed her lips softly as he held the wrist where the bracelet he gave her was found.
Exsavior grazed the accessory and continued. “Remember what it says,” unable to find the courage to say them himself, Exsavior left Mia to her thoughts as she looked down to see the words on the bracelet.
The words were, ‘I love you,’ but he did not feel it appropriate to say it just yet, and as he sat in the back of the car, he watched Mia’s fleeting form, standing alone.
He could not help but feel sad at not being able to help or figure out what was troubling her.
Another sigh escaped his lips, and Exsavior rested his head on the cushioned seats, listening to Lily’s comments about them going to pick up nice clothes for the formal dance that was tomorrow.
~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~
‘Remember to not bite the hand that feeds you, Ms. Templar.’
As she walked through the uncluttered area of the forest, Lynn furrowed her brow in anger. The words bothered her profusely, much like all the other memories she would have of Darius every now and then. But it was more because she knew he did exactly that. Darius betrayed the Covenant; he bit their hand, and for that, he paid the ultimate price.
‘You idiot, can’t even heed your own advice.’ Her mind wandered over those thoughts in exhaustion.
Truth be told, Lynn was far from ok. She felt like a mess, as if everything reminded her of Darius, and she found her mind to be a sadistic thing. Now that he was gone from her life, she was having flashes of every moment they ever had together.
No matter how insignificant they were, Lynn would recall things every now and then, and it started to slowly consume her.
“Ungh, shit,” she spat, fumbling with a flask she pulled out of her ammunitions belt.
The bluish liquid sparkling with an ethereal glow, taunted her. At first, Lynn would always hesitate; having those nagging thoughts about killing her own body with the consumption of the liquid would make her doubt, but after the first dozen, it became easier to ignore.
‘I don’t want live this life without you…’ The thought ran rampant through her mind, like an unwanted guest. She did not even notice when the notion crept into her subconscious.
It shocked her and to avoid breaking down, Lynn opened the vile and chugged the slimy liquid down. The tears that were threatening to fall did, but her skin was rejuvenated—numbing her pain.
When all of the content was consumed, she felt a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. It twisted and churned within her, until Lynn was forced to her knees. A painful stretching constricted the walls of her belly as her hands flew up to her mouth.
But it was too late, for she spewed and vomited a substance that scared her more than ever.
The blood that flowed out of her was thick and superfluous, and it made her lightheaded.
Although, Lynn did not know whether or not if her dizziness was due to her abuse of the supernatural drug or because of the fear she had for her own well-being, and because of this, she stood groggily to wipe the blood off her lips.
Her legs took her away from where she spilled her blood, and shortly after, the llyrium did its magic. The wooziness passed, and her body was back to normal for the moment.
“Lynn, where were you?” the voice of a child captured her attention.
She sought its source, and saw Terry standing near a few trees at the base of a large mountainous hill—his back turned to her.
It was daylight out, so the forest wasn’t as perilous as it would be in the dark, making the young boy seem much more confident.
“Nowhere, I was just curious to know where exactly this place is,” she said sternly, making Terry nod and look at the mountain.
“I think this is where he first came,” Terry spoke, kneeling down to touch an indent on the ground.
It was large and it formed the shape of a rectangle.
“Indeed it is. If I were an angel that was just freed from an imprisonment, I might go back to where I first arrived here on earth.” In an instant, Locke’s voice interrupted them both as he materialized from thin air.
He was floating as usual, having his two legs up and crossed.
“Well, looks like your wrong and wasting my time,” Lynn spat, noticing the absence of said angel.
Locke stared at Lynn with scrutiny. “I did not force you to come with us,” he began tactfully.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Lynn smirked. “Yeah well right now, I’m not the most popular person within the group.”
Those words made Locke grin as well. “Looks like we have something in common.”
But to that Lynn only scoffed, “I don’t blame them. Why are you helping these kids anyways? Got nothing better to do?” It was obvious that Lynn did not care for tact on her part.
The question, however, made Locke’s eyes narrow as he continued to smirk. “I could ask you the same question. Your sister doesn’t seem to want anything to do with you, leaving you very few friends amongst them.”
Almost in a growl, Lynn countered his statement in her defense. “My mission has nothing to do with their little plight. I mean, yes, I will take out Ezekias if I have too, but the Covenant comes first.”
“Really now,” Locke said, in amusement.
“Yes, now,” Lynn mocked in a patronizing manner, fully annoyed. “That angel dude was right. Humans keep messing around with immortality—the Covenant was experimenting with that. They were looking to isolate the immortal gene for mass reproduction.” Slowly, the discomfort she held started to die down, as Lynn said those words solemnly.
It made Locke sigh. “I’m not surprised. In any case, if you really don’t have any intentions of fighting this war, leave,” he said forcefully, staring her in the eyes with no hint of joshing.
“Don’t waste our time, and do not lift their spirits in false hopes,” he warned. “People who count on flight risks die…”
And with that said, Lynn scowled. “Shut up, I’m not turning my back on anyone dumbass, but you already knew that didn’t you?” she said rhetorically out of anger as she approached the area where Terry was.
“I did; I just like to be sure.” His voice was smooth and relaxed, annoying Lynn further.
“If you guys are done with your lover’s quarrel, you need to see this,” Terry said boldly, making Lynn scoff even more as Locke chuckled.
“What exactly are we looking at?” Lynn inquired.
“The dirt on here is so rich and cold. Look at the grass, so vibrant and full of life in comparison to the rest around,” Terry said.
“It must be the spot where the coffin landed,” Locke stated, hovering over them to get a better look.
“Be that as it may, I still don’t see why it’s relevant to finding Elias.” Lynn added.
“It might not be, but according to everyone, my sister found the coffin and the key. She fell in love with Elias, even though she could never see or touch him. That has to mean something to him.” His voice was fervent, and it was then that Lynn and Locke realized Terry’s true desire to know more about what happened to Melisse.
Lynn ignored who the succubus was, she only knew by what Locke was told, and according to the teens, Melisse was one of their classmates who had been running from the Covenant for years.
She was also the young Savant’s guardian and the one who stumbled upon Elias’s coffin, where the angel was contained.
“Kid, Elias is an angel. There’s little chance that he might care enough to see the place where he met your sister,” Lynn stated bluntly.
“No tact whatsoever,” Locke sighed as he said those words, but Terry simply turned to stare at them both.
“I don’t care! I lost my sister because I was too weak to accept this truth. I need to make things right; I need to finish what she started!” he yelled, making his eyes pulsate with the same invisible aura.
The action caused Lynn to move back and shift her stance defensively.
“Shit, did he lose it again?”
Locke shrugged at the question. “I’m not sure; his power is very unique and unpredictable. He can tap into the In-between at will, but now I can’t tell if he’s doing this because he wants to or not.”
“Well, I think we’re about to find out. Hopefully, he doesn’t have any more of those friends of his,” Lynn joked in an unsavory manner.
Hearing those words made Locke stern as he understood the gravity of their situation. “The actual problem is that he does not need more of them just the one suffices.”
“But I killed that thing…” Lynn retorted, watching how Terry burst with the invisible aura and his arm beating with numerous large veins.
“Ah well, Terry’s power isn’t as straightforward as one might think,” Locke began, making Lynn scowl.
“Oh the joy…”
In one grunt, the young boy pulled at the nothingness in the air once again with his pulsating arm.
“You see, that thing he pulled out was not a Poltergeist per se,” Locke vacillated, attempting to understand what Terry was doing. “It was an Artificial Ghost, a powerful entity limited only by its creator’s imagination.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re saying that kid created that thing out of nothing?” Lynn challenged, as she stared at Terry, her arms covering some of her face in order to withstand the gusts of abnormal wind that was pounding out of the rip.
“Yes, his power is remarkable. During his time in the In-between, he desperately sought aid, and from his mind, he created a being that would protect him. It’s called an Artificia, or an artificially created ghost. Upon creation, its master places unto it all of its capabilities.”
Before Lynn could respond, Terry finally opened the rip completely and stared at the two.
“I’m going to find out what happened that day; there must be something that could give me answers on the other side,” Terry yelled at them with a stoic demeanor—his veins reaching the sides of his eyes that were coated in the invisible aura.
“Terry wait, let us accompany you!” Locke called back to him, but before anything else could happen, he jumped right into the rip, closing it shut.
The winds abruptly stopped, as if their presence was never there, and it made Lynn sigh. “Well, looks like we’re playing chase,” she said simply, knowing that Locke was capable of traveling into the In-between.
“That boy was correct. You did wise to heed him and follow me here.” Nevertheless, Locke could not abide to Lynn’s wishes and chase after Terry for Elias appeared before them.
He floated midair and landed on one of the tallest pine trees that stood behind them—his wings bear and menacing, spread like that of an eagle with such pride and majesty.
“Well now, it looks like you did care for that girl.” Locke smirked.
“Who cares about that, how will you want to be doing this—the hard way or the boring way?” Lynn taunted in defiance as she summoned her golden gauntlets. Her body was emanating with raw spirit pressure, most likely due to the excess llyrium that was coursing through her body.
“I will not be aiding you mongrels.” Elias’s eyes were deadly stern and dangerous, glowing with anticipation as he swooped in after them.
Locke braced himself, vanishing from sight and readying to detain the angel like before.
“Ha, the hard way it is,” Lynn worded still defiant as she put her hands outwards and summoned one of her ethereal weapons.
“I will not allow it!” Elias yelled as he collided with her power.
There was a brief cloud of smoke, and when it cleared, Elias’s thundering fist that was shrouded in angelic aura, collided with Locke’s jaw.
The trickster’s face dissolved into that of mush, as he repositioned himself away from Elias and behind Lynn.
It was then that the blond angel’s eyes widened when he saw Lynn standing there with her combat boots firmly implanted on the solid ground—the weight of her heavy newest weapon pounded on her shoulder as she balanced it with ease.
Having the size of an average human and packed with all kinds of otherworldly metal, a giant chrome-colored bazooka rested lazily on Lynn’s right shoulder. The width of the object was even greater than her two legs combined, and from the rear sight, passed the spring to the tube, Lynn’s white mantle wrapped itself around it beautifully.
“You lose,” she smirked in arrogance, making a blast shoot out of the enormous weapon in the direction of Elias.
The angel tried to dodge it, but it simply burst into a net of the golden lassos. With ease, it entangled the angel and brought him closer to the ground, for it was not enough to land him completely.
Elias’s angelic blood allowed him to resist the attack considerably, and before he could break free, Locke apprehended him.
“Slumber under the Fool’s embrace.” He used his arcane magic just as he did to Mia when she lost control, and eliminated Elias’s consciousness for the time being.
Locke then grabbed Elias’s body as he landed gently. “So what now?” Lynn’s voice interrupted as she allowed the bazooka to disappear.
Raising an eyebrow towards the Templar, Locke addressed her. “A bit flashy don’t you think?”
“It worked, so who cares,” she said dismissively.
“Well whatever, now we need to create a circle of Holy Fire.”
“Holy Fire?” Lynn repeated in confusion.
Nodding, Locke explained. “It’s the only thing that can contain and even kill an angel.”
“Ok, so where can we get some?”
Solemnly, Locke pointed his finger towards the sky, confusing Lynn further. “The Celestial Realm…”
Her eyes widened and then quickly turned to a scowl. “Can you even access that place?” When she received a negative response, Locke continued to speak.
“No Immortal can access the Celestial Realm; I don’t even think Elias knows how to get back either. The only thing we can do is wait for Terry.”
“Terry? How can he get Holy Fire?” Lynn asked still confused.
“When you left to get high, I told him I was going to go to the In-between to find some,” he spat bluntly, making Lynn feel ashamed.
“Whatever, let’s see what happens then,” she said quietly, avoiding Locke’s stare and turning to sit back where the coffin once lay.
Locke simply crossed his arms over his chest and remained floating with his back to the trunk of a pine tree as he shut his eyes to think—both of them hoping in silence for Terry’s return with the Holy Fire.
~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~******
As soon as the boys arrived at the mall, Lily moved them from store to store. Normally, retail shops like Abercrombie and Fitch or Aeropostale would have been David’s first choice, but his mother’s tastes were a bit different.
It was only natural, since she was older and new best when it came to formal attire.
Walking into another retail shop, this one with the name of Express, Exsavior and David trailed behind Lily as they held on to the shred of patience they still had.
“Is it right to be doing this given our situation?” Exsavior asked David unsure of himself.
With a shrug, David replied in the sincerest of ways. “It might look like we’re wasting our time, but until Locke doesn’t get back with Elias, where else can we train?”
Exsavior sighed and agreed, making David jest.
“I get it; you’re just trying to find a way out of this.” A playful grin plastered itself on David’s face as he wrapped his arm around Exsavior’s shoulders again; it was a discomforting habit, but a brotherly show of affection.
So Exsavior, who had his head under David’s chin, swiftly released himself from the grip and put David in his own headlock. It made the teen grunt and struggle to get loose.
“Not so pleasant is it?” Exsavior joked, enticing David to retaliate.
“Just wait ‘til I get out of this,” when David replied in a strained manner, he struggled to break free until he did. It was then that David and Exsavior almost toppled over a few clothe stands with their play fighting, making Lily catch their attention.
“Ahem!” she voiced in a displeased fashion, making the boys stop in their tracks.
David scratched the back of his head and Exsavior smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry…” they both said in unison.
“Its ok, I’d rather have you two playing around like that then actually fighting,” Lily spoke, reminiscent of the time they had their argument. “Now come on, this young lady is going to help you two find some clothes.” And with that said, David and Exsavior looked the giggling employee and followed her and Lily towards the back of the store.
They found it to be where the dressing rooms were and where all the formal wear was located.
“Ok, so will it be a matching type thing or will they differ completely?” asked the young lady, still finding it hard to face the boys with a straight face.
But the question confused both boys and Lily. “Matching, what do you mean?” Lily asked.
“Oh well, aren’t they twins? Wouldn’t they get matching attire?” As soon as those words were said, Exsavior and David looked at each other.
They knew they were similar, but twins? Were they that alike?
“Uh…?” David was about to speak and explain the situation, when his mother interrupted.
“Oh, that would be so adorable! Yes, maybe we can get a nice light blue dress shirt for Exsavior and a dark navy blue one for David.” Lily paused, as if thinking it over. “That could be the only difference, then maybe the same vest for the both of them?”
When the lady heard the suggestions, she nodded and smiled, eager to sell the merchandise. “I know just the thing,” she said as she went off to find the attire.
“Mom, what are you doing?” David asked her in slight annoyance.
Turning to face David, Lily smiled. “Oh come on, I know you two aren’t twins, but the resemblance is so uncanny. Either way, it’s just formal wear—it doesn’t really differ in men.”
“She is right, pants are pants either way.” Exsavior added, remembering his father’s old human clothes for special occasions. He never did wear them, but as a child, Exsavior always wondered about them.
“Yeah alright, just don’t go around saying we’re twins. It’s weird.” David added.
“It would be a bit easier to explain then the real situation, though,” Exsavior stated.
“Yeah, but people who know us already won’t buy it.” David retorted.
Lily, noticing the slight tension, nodded in agreement. “No, David’s right. Let’s just allow it this one time.”
With a nod, David dropped the subject and Exsavior, who remained silent, figured that he was probably being defensive because of Cassius.
David did not want to insult the memory of his older brother—and it made perfect sense to Exsavior.
Soon enough, the lady returned with two black sleek vests and the dress shirts Lily had offered.
The pants were simple enough and when the boys entered the dressing rooms to put the clothes on, David could not help but smirk in satisfaction.
“Well hello their good-looking,” he said to himself as he eyed his body all around.
There was some fumbling and a few grumbles coming from the other side, and it made David chuckle.
“Exsavior, you ok bro?”
Silence was David’s answer at first, until a few zips here and there. “I hate human clothes…” The comment made David laugh and walk outside to show off the look.
His mother was elated, and when Exsavior joined them with his sheepish subconscious look, Lily’s smile grew even wider.
“Exsavior honey, its ok, let me get a better look at you,” she offered, moving closer to him to bat away some of his stray hair that fell over his eyes.
“You’re such a handsome boy to be feeling all shy about your appearance.” The words made his cheeks turn red as David snickered to himself.
“Excuse me, but will you be paying in cash or card?” Once again, the now money-thirsting employee interjected.
The question made Lily leave Exsavior alone to turn and a face the young girl as she answered her. A few comments were exchanged, and Lily was back, ordering both boys to undress and get into their regular clothes.
Soon enough, after they were out of the formal wear Lily paid for the attires.
“Ungh, I can’t believe I’m gonna have to wear that,” Exsavior whined as he followed Lily out of the shop with David to his side.
“Not only that, but you’re gonna have to dance in it too,” he chuckled when he saw Exsavior’s expression turn glum.
Suddenly, a heavy load fell upon Exsavior’s back, making them all stop to see what had happened. He felt someone grab him from behind and then mount him like a child would for a ride.
“Exsavior, I found you!” Jasmine squealed in glee as she hugged his neck.
Lily who had gotten a good distance away from the two, stopped in her tracks to see why they hesitated, and when she saw the young girl on Exsavior, she frowned.
“What are you boys doing, let’s go or I’ll leave you two behind!” she called to them.
“Jasmine, why are you here?” Exsavior asked, as he forced her off of him.
“I got bored, so I decided to look for you.”
“What about Isabel, weren’t you with her?” David asked, obviously interested to know what the blonde witch was up to.
Jasmine seemed to think about the question. “I went for a walk, so she must be home alone.”
When David heard the statement, his heart began to beat frantically. It made him leave the two and reach his mother as Exsavior cocked an eyebrow at him in curiosity. He decided to ignore Jasmine’s rambling for a second and listen intently from afar.
“Gotta go mom just found out that there’s this test I need to study for and Isabel’s the only one with the guide,” In an instant, Exsavior could tell how David tried to muster the most sincere voice as he unraveled the fallacy.
At first, Exsavior could tell that Lily did not want to buy the story, but she quickly gave him permission when her attention kept beckoning towards him and Jasmine. Because of this, David scurried off, and Lily approached Exsavior, pulling him by the ear away from the oblivious she-wolf.
In shock, Exsavior allowed himself to be taken. “Lily, what’s wrong?” he asked, afraid that he had misbehaved or upset her.
When she let him go a good distance from Jasmine, she spoke to him. “I know you and Mia are involved; I saw you kiss her.” She started, making Exsavior confused as to how that was relevant to anything.
“Now, I won’t allow you to be playing around with more than one girl at a time, young man. I don’t agree with that behavior.” Her eyes were angry, and her face hard. Never once had Exsavior seen such a strong expression on Lily.
It was so daunting that at one point, he thought she was incapable of making those types of faces.
Before he could attempt to explain, Jasmine approached them again. She nudged Exsavior’s shoulder and spoke. “Exsavior’s my cousin, I came to visit him after I heard that he was finally taken in,” she said nonchalantly, making Lily blink.
“Cousin?” Lily said to herself, her face going blank. “Oh my god, I never thought about your relatives looking for you.” Again, she spoke more to herself than to anyone, but it was obvious that the idea of Exsavior’s family coming out to find him was unnerving her.
“Lily, its fine, she’s not exactly my family just a childhood cousin type friend…” Exsavior rambled, feeling his explanation more than weak.
“Well, its fine. You two catch up, and how about you come to dinner later tonight…um?” In an instant, Lily’s face went bright once more as she faced Jasmine.
“It’s Jasmine, and sure that would be so nice,” she said in glee, making Exsavior almost growl.
Feeling pleased with herself, Lily nodded in content and left the two.
“Why on earth would you do that?” Exsavior asked in annoyance, making Jasmine giggle.
“She didn’t seem to like me, but I knew if she thought I was your relative that would change,” Jasmine stated, her vision wandering off to the retail shops that surrounded them.
This time Exsavior did growl. “You made her nervous, and now she believes that my real family is going to come around and bother her!” he said forcefully.
But Jasmine dismissed his annoyance as she scampered off towards an ice-cream kiosk. “Oh come on, it’s not gonna happen so no harm,” she called out to him as she neared the ice-cream machine.
Her eyes marveled over the object as it swirled around the cream and made the frozen treat.
“So how about it young lady, what flavor fancies you?” In an instant, as a grumbling Exsavior approached Jasmine, a man in charge of the stand spoke to her. She stared through the glass like a child would when they saw an interesting toy that caught their eye, and when she lifted it to the distributor of the frozen delicacy, Jasmine smiled in joy.
“Oh Exsavior, let’s get some!” she pleaded, making Exsavior realize that she was probably penniless.
Nevertheless, he sighed and took out some money as they bought two vanilla flavored ice-cream cones. Jasmine’s had sprinkles all over whereas Exsavior’s was simple and plain.
Much to Exsavior’s hesitancy, he and Jasmine found their way to a nearby bench viewing a large fountain in the middle of a plaza-like open space of the mall. It was also close to a play area where most of the parents would opt in resting as their children ran rampant and free within the plastic slides. Sitting down on the wooden pew, Exsavior quietly ate his ice-cream cone, and Jasmine couldn’t help but giggle every now and then at him. It only served to discomfort the alpha lycan, even more than having to spend time with the girl.
“What are you laughing about?” he asked her, his voice sounding impatient, as he lapped away at the cream.
But like a playful fox that would so cunningly toy away with their partner, Jasmine continued to giggle, until she boldly mushed some of her eaten ice-cream on Exsavior’s nose.
The coldness of the frozen vanilla seeped its way immediately into Exsavior’s sensitive skin, making his cheeks turn red as he went wild with a sneezing fit.
“Why…A-A-A-A-ACHOO…would you…ACHOO…do that?” Exsavior pleaded for an answer, failing to understand why Jasmine would commit such a heinous crime against him, but his words would get choked up with every trembling sneeze that his body would succumb to.
“Aw, that’s so cute—your cheeks are flushed. I’ve never eaten ice-cream before, and I’ve seen couples toy with each other like this on TV.” Jasmine wavered, her train of thoughts coming to a conclusion as one of her delicate fingers found her lips. “I guess lycans can’t play like that,” she said with a dawning expression.
“No kidding.” Wiping his nose fervently with his bare hands, Exsavior’s snarky comment did little to hide his discomfort, but Jasmine did not seemed to be fazed by it.
She narrowed her eyes, plastered a smirk on her face and pulled out a handkerchief to flash before Exsavior, who still had most of his nose buried in his hands.
“Maybe this can do better justice than your hands,” Jasmine joked, as she held the cloth within her fingertips.
“Thanks,” Like any regular person, Exsavior took one hand and went for the clothed tissue, believing Jasmine was offering it to aid him, but her playfulness had yet to die down as she pulled it away from his grasp.
It was then that Exsavior felt an ice-cold goo smack against his cheek, only to realize that she so daringly used the rest of her ice-cream cone to coat his face in it.
With a laugh, Jasmine swiftly rose to her feet, and taunted a now fully annoyed Exsavior.
“If you want it, you’re going to have to catch me,” she winked at him, and flipped her footwear off to disappear in a sprint from the area they sat in.
Exsavior had half a mind to simply leave the mall and ignore her, but as the passersby eyed him weirdly, he realized that Jasmine was probably calling too much unwanted attention. Her small lace-less shoes were tossed to the porcelain floor near most of the flowing traffic, causing eyes to find him.
‘Is this how everyone felt whenever they dealt with me?’ The thought crossed his mind, but unwillingly Exsavior pushed it away and stood up to give chase to Jasmine before a bigger scene was made.
“C’mon, you’re never gonna get cleaned if you don’t put an effort into it!” Her voice carried itself throughout the sea of people, and it made Exsavior stop in his tracks to see her standing in the distance.
Jasmine stood out like a sore thumb, her tribal skirt and poncho screamed outsider, and as she ventured into the play area, more attention was put onto her.
This made Exsavior sigh and force him after her as he entered the matted playground. At first, no one was paying attention, but when Jasmine kept taunting with her handkerchief dangling in her hands, the seated parents couldn’t help but eye the two.
Most of the younger kids laughed at their joshing, and even more when Exsavior got stuck within the plastic cylindrical slides as Jasmine swiftly escaped his grasp.
She laughed whimsically, and positioned herself higher within the playground equipment. “You snooze you lose!” Even if Jasmine’s mirth sounded gracious to many, it only served to annoy Exsavior.
His face was sticky and cold, and his nose was still red from the foreign substance—aside from that, he was stuck within a slide that was built for toddlers, causing many to turn amused faces his way.
Exsavior was never one to care about what human’s thought of him, but at that moment, it was getting to him.
Due to this, He let out a loud grunt and freed himself from the cylindrical slide. It was then that he stared up at Jasmine, who was standing on the tip of the plastic cone-shaped roof that adorned the small mock castle structure.
“Oi, looks like you got yourself—” Jasmine started to speak, but in a speedy whisk, Exsavior jumped in her direction and snatched her hips.
Her eyes widened at the action for she was unable to react at his speed, and when Exsavior’s hands grabbed her form, he noticed her face that turned bright red.
“Not so confident now are we?” he teased her, as they landed on the matted colorful floor, causing the kids to clap and yell in glee.
The younger girls twirled and attempted to mimic Jasmine’s moves, as the boys played knight to their princesses.
When Exsavior took the handkerchief and rubbed it furiously over his nose, he let Jasmine go as a young girl approached them. “Missy, can you teach me to be a beautiful princess like you?” She was most likely around a decade, and with shy eyes, she tugged at Jasmine’s skirt.
It made the she-wolf turn to the small human and kneel to be at her height. Patting her head, Jasmine smiled and spoke, “I would, but I’m not as pretty as you are.” The words made the little child beam with wide eyes as her small arms collided with Jasmine in the form of a hug.
For a second, as the parents approached the two and thanked them for their small act of entertainment, Exsavior could not help but eye the Flower Maiden. She was glowing and smiling genuinely at everyone, so different from how Mia was currently behaving.
‘What am I thinking?’ he thought to himself.
“That was some act. You and your girlfriend over there are really skilled; are you guys a part of some circus show?” Before Exsavior could even assimilate the word girlfriend, he faced the tall middle-aged man who spoke to him.
“What?” Unable to capture his racing thoughts, Exsavior failed to find a reply.
“I’d like to take my daughter to see you guys preform. Can you let me know where you guys will be?” the man asked again, making less sense than before.
“Exsavior let’s go!” In that moment, Exsavior heard Jasmine’s voice beckoning him, and this made him shrug off the man with a departure as he ran to where she was.
“Thanks for that!” Exsavior retorted in a gruff unpleasant voice. It was obvious he was not pleased with all the attention.
“Oh c’mon, don’t tell me you’re still mad?” Jasmine worded, this time less enthused.
However, her tone of voice went unnoticed by Exsavior as he crossed his arms over his chest and adamantly spoke. “I’m not mad, but I didn’t care for that at all.”
Sitting down on one of the empty benches near the play area, Jasmine sighed solemnly. “I’m sorry; I thought that maybe you could use a little fun.”
Still in an obstinate posture, Exsavior did not ease up his discomfort. “That wasn’t fun.”
“Well it was for me. Why do you care so much what the humans think of us? I thought all lycans acted freely.” The last part of her statement she murmured as if afraid of his reaction towards them.
Nevertheless, Exsavior did hear the statement, and it made him think. He stood there with his crossed arms and remembered. The first day he came to Oakhurst, he did feel free and he acted upon the feeling. When did that change?
Jasmine was right; on some levels, he was acting more like a human—worrying over the little things and his behavior. Since when was that supposed to matter?
‘Since Mia…’ In all honesty, he knew that his meeting with Mia was causing him to act differently—more contained.
But the question remained, was that a good thing?
Massaging the bridge of his nose, Exsavior sat next to Jasmine. She stared off into the crowd of flowing people with a distant look, all hints of mirth gone.
“Your right…I guess I’ve forgotten how to behave freely.” A tender smile wrapped itself over his face, making Jasmine peer at him through the corners of her brown eyes, but she did not react the way he expected her too.
Just a scoff left her throat, as she continued to view the passersby.
“Are you mad now?” he asked innocently, unknowing of how she was feeling. That was one lucky thing between him and Mia, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, he always knew how she feeling.
With Jasmine, it wasn’t so straightforward.
‘Why am I comparing them?’ Before he could analyze that notion, Jasmine turned to face him.
She smirked, and spoke. “No, you’re too wound up Exsavior. Stop taking everything so seriously.” Once again, the same laugh escaped her lips, but this time, Exsavior was not bothered by it.
Jasmine made a good point; he needed to find his way back to his prideful lycan nature—even if it meant going rampant here and there.
So because of this, he laughed along with her, making Jasmine smile tenderly.
‘He’s such a lost pup…so cute.’ Her mind wondered over the lycan before her, as she eyed Exsavior.
He was talking; something about how he needed to become one with his wild nature again, but Jasmine could only watch him. His puppy dog eyes, his scruffy hair, his fidgety hands and how his lips would curve into a slight smile when he spoke, revealing hints of his sharp canines—it was like watching someone from afar. Someone she longed for, but couldn’t reach even if they were within her grasp.
‘My one and only…who knew? How did I just get smitten with you by laying my eyes on your face?’ It was uncanny when she thought about it, but it was how werewolves functioned. They just simply knew who was perfect for them.
The wilderness called for them to run wild under the moon until others joined. Together they would be free and live by the laws of the moonlight, adhering to everything that Mother Nature wanted. Only when the Wild would will it would they ever find their mate—their one and only, and only then would they finally be complete.
Exsavior…he was the one for her…he was the perfect fit to who she was.
Even after death, their souls would meet again in Paradise, but it would only be possible if they both shared the same emotion.
‘If only I could make you see that.’ Slowly, before she even knew it, Jasmine’s eyes were turning into a scowl.
“Is something wrong?” In an instant, Exsavior’s blank face of curiosity was staring at her—breaking her thoughts that ran wild.
Jasmine laughed when he asked her, shrugging off the question. “I’m fine worrywart,” she joked, masking away her sorrow.
“Ok then,” Exsavior said, pausing before saying the next statement.
“Well, I guess I should be going. I need to study. You can get home by yourself right?” he asked her while standing up to make his leave.
Jasmine toyed with the idea of making Exsavior walk her back to Isabel’s apartment, but instead, she decided to speak her mind.
“Yeah I’ll be fine,” she said simply while mustering up some courage. “Um, Exsavior?” She started nervously.
“Yeah?” Turning back to face Jasmine, Exsavior eyed her. The action made Jasmine a bit more pressured, but she fought through it.
“I know that there’s something going on between you and that angel girl but I want you to know that I won’t give up on you.” Her face must have been flushed, her hands were trembling and Jasmine could feel how her chest went frantic with every thump her shaking heart gave it.
It was a feeling that overwhelmed her, and as her brown determined eyes stared at his chocolate orbs, Jasmine forced herself to remain calm or attempt it.
“Give up on me? What do you mean?” he asked, now fully facing her out of curiosity.
The inquiry made her swallow a knot that formed in her throat. “I…I want to be by your side for as long as possible.” Jasmine cast her eyes down, feeling somewhat inadequate, until the strength of her feelings empowered her once more. “I won’t let Mia stop me from trying to be with you!”
Her eyes were fierce now, the trembling ceasing as the only thing she could feel was her thundering heart—the one thing that was being risked. But she was determined to put it out there for him.
For her one and only…
‘Who knew…that I would find you under these circumstances…?’
And as their eyes clashed with each other, one of scared determination and the other of wide surprise, Jasmine awaited his response.
Then she felt her body ease as his smile purged her of every fear she had in her body.
“I knew you were a strong girl, and I guess no matter what I say, I can’t stop you from making your own decisions.” His smile grew as he chuckled at his own words.
“I’ll take care of you as long as you’re here.” When those words left his lips, Jasmine beamed, but it was premature. “But…I will also protect Mia, and like you who won’t give up on me, I won’t give up on her.” Those last words were said lowly and Jasmine could visibly see him casting his eyes elsewhere as he waved his goodbye and left her.
It was an odd feeling to say the least, she was not thrilled by his response, but at the same time, she could not feel disappointed. Exsavior did not exactly reject her—all he did was lay his cards on the table just as she did.
‘Who knew…?’
Now it was just up to the Fates to play the next card that was in store for the three of them. Exsavior, Mia and herself…
“Love is a tricky feeling isn’t it?” Just when she thought no one was with her, Jasmine’s ears were filled with those slithering words, and as she turned in her seat, she saw him, an old man wearing a navy blue suit with a white tie.
His long silver hair was combed backwards neatly with no strands daring to fall out of place and he stood there, facing Jasmine with the most unnerving look.
“Excuse me?” she worded, feeling nauseatingly uncomfortable around this person.
Her wolf senses were screaming to run.
“That young boy…such an intense individual, he’s gotten to so many in such a short time,” he began his tale while roaming around the bench where Jasmine sat.
It didn’t take long for her to realize who this man was by the way he spoke, and when it dawned on Jasmine, she became cautious.
The last thing she wanted to do was act wrongly and get herself killed.
“You are so young and so full of life—to be pining over him. Over his unrequited love…that just saddens me.” The old man feigned interest in her plight.
But his words only served to exasperate Jasmine’s resolve. “I don’t care what you think, stranger.” She tried to sound offensive with her choice of words, but the man just chuckled.
“My dear, I have been where you are. I know what it means to be unloved, by the one person who means the world to you.” He stopped his own words, his face contorting with raw emotion, and for a second, Jasmine felt as if he was being honest. “To be rejected by your other half—the one who completes you, whom without, you can never truly function. It consumes you; eats away at your heart bit by bit until you turn into nothing but an ugly dark shell of the person you once were.”
Before she knew it, Jasmine found herself lost within in his words as tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, all she could think about was Exsavior’s fleeting form and how he left her seconds ago. How many times would she need to endure that? How many times would he leave her for Mia until she couldn’t take it anymore?
The words of this man—they held some sort of sense.
“Oh you poor thing, don’t cry.” He cooed, slithering his way to sit next to her. “Your name is Jasmine is it not?” She nodded at his question still in tears. “You are a beta of the Mountain wolf pack…I could use your services.” And there it was—Jasmine may have shown weakness, but she was no fool.
With a loud sigh and a few sniffs, she massaged her eyes and snorted while wiping the tears off her face. “Nice try, Ezekias Halder, but you’re barking at the wrong wolf,” and with that said, Jasmine sped away from him—leaving a strong gust to rattle the mall and its customers as she disappeared from the naked eye.
Ezekias smirked to himself, leaning back on the bench where Jasmine sat seconds ago.
“Oh Jasmine, your presence here has made my mission all the more easy. What’s the point of keeping Exsavior around anymore?” He laughed at his own words, as he spread his arms over the bench and eyed the passersby, feeling like he had them all under the tip of his fingers.
“Mom, that crazy old man talks to himself.” Before he knew it, the voice of a small child passing by with his mother broke his air of pride.
“Shush honey, leave the crazy old cook be.” The mom chastised lightly, annoying Ezekias further.
‘Oh when the day of the Black Night returns, I will have my justice on all of you vermin.’ With a deadly look, he glared at the two, making them run off in fear as a large evil grin danced on his old wrinkled face.
The days were getting closer and soon enough the night would be upon them. It was only a matter of time…